I-League champion Minerva Punjab has confirmed its participation in the AIFF Super Cup after having threatened to pull out of the competition citing lack of funds.
Minerva had written a letter to the All India Football Federation on March 12 asking it to make "special financial provisions" for the club to participate in the inaugural edition of the cup competition.
Read: A IFF Dignitaries Visit Minerva Punjab FC Academy
Having received the I-League prize money of Rs 1 crore, the club confirmed on Monday that the Khogen Singh-led outfit will take the field against Jamshedpur FC on April 2 in Bhubaneswar.
"The issue has been sorted out. The funds have come from AIFF as we had requested; we have got our prize money (I-League). We are going to be participating right up front. Our second-round match (against Jamshedpur) is on track now," said the club's CEO Shahnawaz Khan.
In the letter, the club had quoted an estimated budget of Rs. 50-55 lakh required to take part in the Super Cup. "Earlier, we were constrained by the budget factor. The prize money received is almost the double of what we had estimated, so we can easily accommodate that thing (participation in the tournament)," he added.
After its maiden I-League triumph on March 8, the players returned to training in Mohali in preparation for the Super Cup last week.
Chencho Gyeltshen, who won the best forward of the season award, and goalkeeper Kiran Chemchong Limbu are currently away on national team duties with Bhutan and Nepal, respectively, and will join the squad on a later date.
A full-strength team will reach Bhubaneswar on March 31 ahead of the Super Cup.
Comments
SHARE