Panaji: Churchill Brothers FC have started building the squad for their Indian Super League (ISL) debut and their first foreign signing is a player they’ve known from his maiden season in India: Sebastian Gutierrez.The Colombian attacking midfielder was part of the Churchill squad that finished second behind Inter Kashi FC in 2024-25. He was an automatic starter under coach Dimitris Dimitriou and had a big role to play in the team’s impressive run.Last season, with Churchill refusing to play in the Indian Football League (IFL) due to their tussle over the I-League title, Gutierrez spent a year at Dempo SC. Now, he’s back at the former two-time I-League champions, keen to make an impression in the top tier of Indian football.“Our focus this season is on building a competitive squad,” club owner Churchill Alemao told TOI. “Churchill Brothers are known for bringing in top-notch foreign players and we hope to continue with the trend. We will sign quality foreigners. Besides, we want to provide a platform for Goan players too in the ISL.”A club can register six foreign players in the ISL while four can take the field.Among the Goan players, Stendly Fernandes, Anil Gaonkar, Kingslee Fernandes and Richard Costa have been retained, while Dattaraj Gaonkar has made the switch to the former champions from Sporting Clube de Goa and Felixson Fernandes, a former under-18 player at the club, arrives from Bengaluru FC.Defender Lalremruata, wanted by several ISL clubs, has extended his contract.Churchill’s significant capture this season, though, includes Moses Lalrinzuala who has signed a three-year deal, after the club paid a transfer fee to Gokulam Kerala FC.Churchill will make their debut in the top tier ISL this season after Tata Steel approved the transfer of its entire 100% stake in Jamshedpur Football and Sporting Private Limited (JFSPL), the company that owns Jamshedpur FC, to the Goan club for a nominal consideration of ₹100.The sporting license that allowed Jamshedpur to compete in the ISL since 2017 has also been transferred to Churchill.“When people said there was no hope left for Goan football, we chose to believe otherwise,” the club said in a recent post on social media. “While some saw decline, we saw opportunity. While some saw the end, we saw another beginning. Because Goa didn’t need another reason to lose hope. Goa needed someone stubborn enough to create hope.”
