Chirag owners keep mum on team’s fate

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Dumped – this would be the perfect word that could be used for Chirag United Kerala, formerly known as Viva Kerala.

After being relegated to the second division, its owners in West Bengal, Chirag Computers, and its local custodians, who ran the club till the last season, are silent about the queries on the prospects of the club.

“We know nothing about the future of the club. The owners are Chirag Computers and I have been trying to contact them since the relegation of the team. We have not received a formal reply so far. So we are not aware about the status of the club at present,” says P. Bhaskaran, who was the chairman of Viva Kerala FC.

“We are yet to receive money from Chirag Computers on the deal. However, the salaries of the players until last April have been paid duly.

We are waiting for a reply from the club owners. It is they who have to comment on the future of the club,’’ he said. However, when this newspaper tried to contact the vice-president of Chirag Computers, Rana Bandyopadhyay over phone there was no response.

“The club is abandoned by its owners. About 75 per cent of the players have already signed for other I-league clubs. Even if they want to revive the club, it would be a mammoth task as they would have to find new players, coaches and so on,” says Bino George, the assistant coach of the club.

C.K. Vineeth, the top scorer for the club in the last season, has already joined Prayag United Kerala snubbing another offer from a department team in the state. Besides, it is known that winger Usman Ashik and midfielder Asif have also joined the Kolkata team.

Shaijumon, Indian Under-22 team member is set to join Pailan Arrows and Sharath, the goalkeeper has offers from Salgaocar SC and Mumbai FC.

In addition to this, Gymkhana FC in Kannur have signed four members of the team and a Kozhikode-based team that has I-League hopes, has also signed another two players from Chirag United Kerala.