Panaji: Churchill Alemao made no secret of his desire to be part of the top tier Indian Super League (ISL).Goa’s former chief minister owns Churchill Brothers FC, a football team that has over 40 years of history, several national trophies and, more importantly, two national league titles that made his side ‘Champions of India’. Now, after Tata Steel transferred ownership and sporting licence of Jamshedpur FC to Churchill for a nominal consideration of ₹100, Alemao has another of his wish come true: his team will compete in ISL.“I think some journeys are scripted by God,” club CEO and Alemao’s daughter, Valanka, told TOI on Saturday. “This has been a very special journey. Our struggle started in March last year (during the I-League) and now, finally, we are in ISL. God has been very kind. We received congratulatory messages from fans, supporters, Goans across the world. We worked hard, kept faith, never gave up.”Churchill’s battle for a spot in the top tier, a place the club believes is rightfully theirs after winning I-League in 2025, has been well documented. The provisional champions tag, the trophy ceremony, the battle in CAS, is now a thing of the past.“I used to see the hunger in my father’s eyes, and that kept me going for such a long time. Come what may, he wanted to play in ISL. It was his only dream. We have struggled, but now that we are in ISL, our target, like all these years, will be to stay on top. Nothing else matters,” said Valanka, the only female elected executive committee member of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).Churchill’s entry into ISL comes during turbulent times for Indian football.Jamshedpur withdrew from ISL due to cashflow issues and the belief from its shareholders that the top tier league, in its current form, is financially unviable. Multiple clubs are looking for new investors, others are cutting costs, some in the second division are finding the fee to participate steep.For Churchill, it’s business as usual.“Officially, this club was launched in 1988, but my father, his brothers have been running the club much before, I would say, for almost five decades. My grandfather was a football referee, that’s where the kids picked up the love for the game. Passion is all fine, but nothing can move without money. This man (Alemao) had a budget of around Rs 18 crore in 2012-13 (when Churchill became I-League champions for the second time). During those days, he did not think of accounts and finances. All that remains on his mind is winning (trophies). Even now, we will manage,” said Valanka.Churchill’s agreement with Tata Steel means the Goan club will take over the “financial responsibilities” of Jamshedpur’s contracted players and coaches. That’s a dozen-odd players, besides coach Owen Coyle and his assistant Alexander Stewart.“Team building is the key and we should have a better picture (about the team) in the next 15 days,” said Valanka. “A company like Tatas have considered us worthy of taking this forward. We will honour all contracts. If the players and coaches want to be with us, we will accommodate them. Our goal has always been to have more homegrown players, include quality Indians and, of course, foreigners who can help us win trophies.”Churchill were India champions in 2008-09 and 2012-13 after winning the I-League. They have finished runnersup a record seven times, four in I-League and three times in National Football League (NFL).
