The club lost all three matches in the ongoing Durand Cup 

Thinley Namgay   

Head Coach Chencho Dorji will lead Sudeva Delhi FC for one more season in the Hero I-league, the second-tier Indian professional football league.

The 2021-2022 Hero I-League starts from December 3 at a centralised venue in Kolkata.

Chencho and his team are in Kolkata for the pre-season preparations. As part of its preparation for the league, the team participated in the ongoing  Durand Cup in Kolkata.

Sudeva lost all three matches in the Durand Cup – 1-0 to Jamshedpur, FC, 2-1 to FC Goa, and 1-0 to Army Green.

However, Chencho said that it was all neck-to-neck  defeat as Sudeva was a new club with young players, and it was their first in the Durand Cup.

Chencho Dorji, 39, said that the Durand Cup was one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in Asia, where top teams from the Indian Super League, I-League and army teams participate.

“It was a good opportunity for my boys to play against the best teams in India like FC Goa, Jamshedpur FC and Army Green. This Experience will help us play better in the upcoming league,” he said, adding that Sudeva Delhi FC would once again play with pure Indian squad in the I-league with many young and new faces in the team.

Thirteen teams will compete this season. It is the second time Sudeva will play in the I-League.

According to Chencho Dorji, he wants to feature his players in friendly matches before the league. His team plans to stay in Kolkata for the whole pre-season.

“We plan to play in another major upcoming tournament ‘IFA Shield’ at Kolkata before the league begins,” he said.

Edited by Tshering Palden

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