Soft drink giants Coca Cola have signed a three-year contract with Churchill Brothers. The team will play as Coca Cola Churchill Bros in the ongoing National Football League.
Churchill Bros president Churchill Alemao did not disclose how much the deal is worth but said the money will be paid as per the team's performance in each season.
"I am indeed grateful to Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, the president of the AIFF, with whose help I was able to get the sponsorship," he told a press conference at Margao.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Sanjiv Gupta, president and Chief Executive Officer of Coca Cola, Asia.
Earlier, Percept Marketing was willing to sponsor the Goa team for a six-month period, but somehow plans did not work out as it was for a short duration.
"Being the only club in India run by family members, we were undergoing financial crisis and were thinking of disbanding the team. Now that Coca Cola has come forward, I am happy," Alemao said.
"My dream is that India would some day qualify for the World Cup and to achieve this we need the support of the government, industrialists and, above all, media," he said.
The government should open an academy by selecting around 300 boys from all over India and train them under foreign and Indian coaches, Alemao said.
"They should also be provided schooling and incentives to maintain their family. After watching their performance for one year, they should choose the best fifty and form a team to represent India and you will see the difference," he added.
