Mahindra United to be disbanded

- Owners shift focus to the grassroot level; Coach david Booth shocked


Mumbai: Indian football was dealt a blow on Friday with the Mahindra Group announcing the disbanding of its professional football team at the end of this season.

“We have decided to get out of competitive football and get into soccer at the school level. From the end of the I-League (2009-10 season), we will not take part in any competitive soccer,” Alan Durante, Chairman of the Mahindra Football Club, said.

Ruzbeh Irani, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Strategy of Mahindra and Mahindra, said that the decision reflected the company’s shift in focus.

“It was in line with our Group’s philosophy and shift in soccer, from taking part in professional sport to developing it. We feel we can make much difference to sport in India at the school level in soccer and grassroot level in basketball instead of running a professional team,” Irani said.

It may be recalled that Mahindra had recently announced a tie-up with the National Basketball Association (NBA) of the USA to create the ‘Mahindra NBA Challenge.’.
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