The team is the first from Jaipur’s Pink City to compete in the I-League.
Club Name: Rajasthan United FC
Year Founded: 2018 (as JECRC FC, rebranded in 2020 as Rajasthan United FC)
Home Ground: Rajasthan University Sports Complex, Witty Sports Club
Owner: RUFC Sports Private Limited
Manager: Francesc Bonet
League: I-League
History of the Club
JECRC FC (Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre FC) was created in 2018 by an engineering student, Kamal Singh Saroha, in partnership with his peers. After Rajat Mishra and Swapnil Dhaka were introduced as co-founders in 2020, the club was renamed Rajasthan United FC.
They won the Rajasthan State League in their first season and finished second the following year to qualify for the I-League qualifiers. The squad was announced as the newcomers to the I-League on October 23, 2021, after finishing first in the I-League qualifiers. They eventually made it to the I-League, being the first club from Rajasthan to do so.
The Managing Director
Rajasthan United FC’s administration named Francesc Bonet as their new head coach after qualifying for the I-League. According to reports, the 28-year-old is the third-youngest coach in the I-League this season, behind Mumbai FC’s Khalid Jamil (32) and Minerva Punjab FC’s Yan Law (26).
Bonet holds a UEFA Pro License. FC Martinenc, CE L’Hospitalet, UD Park, and CF Almogavers were among the clubs with which the Spaniard previously played. He was also the technical director for CF Almogavers for a short time. Aside from these clubs, the strategist also served as a coach at the Barcelona Academy (FC Barcelona). As a result, his resume demonstrates how much pedigree he’ll bring to the Western outfit.
Analysis of the Team
The team has already signed a few high-profile footballers with the appointment of Francesc Bonet as their new manager. In preparation for the I-League, the newcomers have signed Pintu Mahata and Abhishek Ambekar, who has previously played for Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
Aman Chhetri, a former Chennaiyin FC and Indian Arrows hopeful, has also been called up to the squad. The majority of their lineup, on the other hand, is made up of relatively unknown individuals. The club is still likely to sign a few players before the season begins.
They are also expected to announce the signing of Fabiano Alves, a Brazilian midfielder, soon. The midfielder, who has previously played for Palmeiras and Corinthians, is also capable of playing as a defender. With the addition of Alves, the club’s foreign signings for this season will be complete.
Outstanding Signings for the Team
Marcelinho
After acquiring former ISL player Marcelinho, Rajasthan United FC silenced the crowd. Delhi Dynamos, Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC, and ATK Mohun Bagan are among the clubs he has represented. In 79 games in the Indian Super League, the Brazilian has 33 goals and 18 opportunities created.
Aside from the numbers, the expertise he’ll offer to the team will be invaluable. He is, without a question, the club’s most mind-blowing signing to date.
Komron Tursunov
One of the club’s newest acquisitions. Tursunov and Mohun Bagan had won the I-League. The Tajik international, 25, is well-versed in the league. The attacker has scored eight goals and provided nine assists in 22 games for both Mohun Bagan and TRAU FC. He’ll undoubtedly be a pivotal figure for the rookies upfront.
Pintu Mahata
Mahata has played for the Kolkata Giants (2018/19), Mohun Bagan (2019/20), and East Bengal (2019/20). He is known for scoring in the famed Kolkata Derby and was named Man of the Match in the same game.
He recently competed for the Indian Navy in the Durand Cup. Despite spending a significant amount of time in the league, Mahata has yet to score a goal. As a member of the Rajasthan United squad, he will have a greater desire to score goals in the coming season.
Tentative Squad
Goalkeepers: Vishal Joon, Ayush Jena, Gaurav Kumar Singh, Bhaskar Roy.
Defenders: Gurmukh Singh, Floyd John Dharmai, Aravind Sharma, Mehul Bisht, Shreyansh Choudhary, Hardik Bhatt, Abhishek Ambekar, Maneshwar Mushahary, Prashant Choudhary, Kanad Meena.
Midfielders: Aman Thapa, Inder Mohan Singh, Raja Musharaf, Rudra Pratap Singh Bisht, Akeem Abioye, Dilliram Sanyasi, Apoorv Arohi, Surag Chettri, Sanjay Lamba, Nitesh Sharma, Mukul Singh, Ningthoujam Pritam Singh, Pintu Mahata, Shilton D’Silva, Marcelinho.
Forwards: Sukhjit Singh, Harpreet Singh, Harmanjot Singh, Gyamar Nikum, Komron Tursunov, Aman Chetri, Diego Bilkiewicz.
Owner of the Club
Kamal Singh Saroha was the founder of the club. Swapnil Dhaka and Rajat Mishra are two additional co-owners of the club, in addition to him. The latter is currently the club’s director. Singh and Mishra were also members of the team’s football team.
Playing Style
Rajasthan United will most likely play possession-based football now that Francesc Bonet has joined the team. Traditional tiki-taka would be too much to ask for, as the style needs to be nurtured from the ground up. Rajasthan United is just too young to be in such a situation. Expect strong wing play because they have some intriguing wingers on the roster.
About the Stadium
The Rajasthan University Sports Complex is used by the club. The ground can hold 6000 people. At the same time, Rajasthan United uses the Witty Sports Club in Bhilwara.
Grassroots Initiatives
In Bhilwara, Rajasthan, the club has established a residential academy. The campus has excellent infrastructure, including a full-fledged gymnasium and artificial turf, as well as medical and educational services. The program’s goal is to develop young athletes from all around the country.
The colts will be able to strengthen themselves thanks to high-level training, a sports-science-based curriculum, and the leadership of foreign and national coaches. The academy has teams ranging in age from U-11 to U-18.
The Journey to the I-League
In their first year, the club won the Rajasthan State League. After finishing second in the Rajasthan State League, the team qualified for the I-League qualifiers in their second season. After a goalless tie with Kenkre FC on October 23, 2021, they finished their campaign in the first place, signaling the commencement of a new era in Rajasthan.
Rajasthan FC is the first team from Rajasthan to qualify for the Indian Premier League. The club and its grassroots initiative are anticipated to inspire other state institutions to take up the sport professionally shortly. On December 26, the team will play RoundGlass Punjab FC at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium in its first I-League match.
What Happens Behind the Scenes
The promotion of Rajasthan United to the I-League would undoubtedly serve as an example to other clubs in the state. The act is aimed to raise awareness and inspire more developing talent from the state to pursue a career in Indian football.
Rajasthan FC should, hopefully, become a force in Indian football in the future, ensuring the growth of more local talent.
If they can qualify for the Indian Super League in a few years, they may be able to make history once more, and people all over the country will witness an excellent club from the state of Rajasthan.
What are their chances?
Under the supervision of Vikrant Sharma, the club competed in the I-League qualifiers against the likes of FC Bengaluru United and Delhi FC. They went undefeated in the season, winning all three games.
They won 3-2 over Ryntih FC and drew 1-1 with Bengaluru United and Madan Maharaj FC in the preliminary round. In the last round, they defeated Delhi FC (1-0) and Madan Maharaj FC (2-0).
Rajasthan United needed only a draw in their final game to win the second tier, so they played a goalless stalemate against Kenkre FC (0-0). The three-year-old club’s feat in keeping their nets unruffled in the last round was unquestionable.
Rajasthan United will be expected to deliver diligently under the leadership of Francesc Bonet after attaining qualifying and recruiting a few giants of Indian football. The I-League will be different from the qualifiers, with the club facing Aizawl FC, Churchill Brothers, Mohammedan SC, Gokulam Kerala FC, and others. It will be interesting to see how they handle the situation.
Read: I-League Qualifier 2021 matches will be live streamed on Facebook
