Kochi (Kerala) [India], October 20 : Ahead of Northeast United FC's upcoming fixture against Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi on Saturday, owner John Abraham said that he is determined to steer the club in the right direction.
Speaking in an interview with the club's media team, Abraham spoke on why the club appointed Mandar Tamhane as Northeast United FC's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
"Mandar comes with a wealth of information, with a wealth of experience managing the Indian football team for five years, working with Bengaluru FC before that for ten years. He brought a lot of experience into my head when he came here. So I am more relieved and happy to have Mandar on board," Abraham said in an interaction with NorthEast United FC media as quoted by ISL's official website.
The Bollywood actor also noted that he, along with Tamhane, held discussions with the Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma to outline their shared vision of transforming NorthEast into a football hub.
Their joint initiative includes plans to establish an academy in the region, designed to provide young talents with top-tier facilities to nurture and develop their skills.
"My vision has always been and will always be to make NorthEast the epicentre of football training and football in the country. I want NorthEast to be the main focus of anything that has to do with football in this country. For that, we met the Honourable Chief Minister of Megale, Mr. Conrad Sangma. We are very happy to say that we're working towards a plan to create an academy, which we believe is going to be a centre of excellence for anybody who's aspiring to play for India," Abraham said.
"We're really hoping our plans are big; they're grand, and they're very ambitious. And today, when I took Mandar for the meeting, he was more than happy. I said you heard it from the horse's mouth, Mandar. Because when we had the meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister Meghalaya, he saw the plans really roll out in front of him. And the timing is so right because all these plans have come in and Mandar has come in. So, we're setting everything together, and I see a very bright future for Northeast United FC and for football in the region," he added.
Abraham believes that they were building something new and that they needed the support of the fans on this journey.
He urged the Highlanders to support their team through thick and thin. He wants them to come in large numbers and motivate the team to persevere in times of difficulty.
"This is an entirely new Northeast United FC. Please come support us. I respect fans because I believe that football is made and football clubs are made because of fans. I have a lot of respect for them. I would want them to come in droves, thousands, and lakhs to come and support Northeast United FC. Not only when we're winning, but even sometimes when we're losing. So I just hope that they all turn up there, and I hope they understand that," Abraham said.
"I personally speak for myself; I personally put my blood, sweat, energy, and money into this team to make it special. And I have a dream. And that dream is to see the steam on top. And the steam will be on top very soon," he oncluded.
The upcoming match between Kerala Blasters FC and Northeast United FC will kick off at 8:00 PM IST in Kochi.
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