Churchill Brothers

Churchill Brothers FC Goa, or simply known as Churchill Brothers, is an Indian professional football club based in Margao, Goa, that competes in the I-League, alongside Goa Professional League. Founded in 1988 in Margao, the club usually participated in the National Football League, then top tier of Indian football league system.

The club has won the I-League title twice and has secured a position among the top three teams on nine other occasions in the national league. It has also won eight Goa League Champions Cups, three Durand Cups, and a Federation Cup.

The Red Machine was led for decades by Churchill Alemao, who was also the president of Goa Football Association and the Chief Minister of Goa. His daughter Valanka Alemao is current CEO of the club.

History

1988–2009

Churchill Brothers FC were founded in 1988 as Varca Club. After one season, they renamed as Brothers Sporting Club. Later on they were bought out by Churchill Braz Alemao and renamed as Churchill Brothers FC and emerged as runners-up of the National Football League thrice: 1996–97, 1999–2000 and 2001–02. In the 1997–98 Asian Club Championship, Churchill Brothers went on to represent India. But, they had a forgetful debut outing as the Goan outfit was knocked out in the very first round by Vietnamese club Dong Thap with 2–1 aggregate loss. In 1998, Churchill roped in Bassim Yonan, the first Iraqi player in India.

After the take over by Churchill, the club went on to win the Durand Cup in 2007 and the 2008–09 I-League, Durand Cup in 2009, IFA Shield in the same year. They also emerged as runners-up of the 2007–08 I-League, the inaugural season. Through their I-League win Churchill Brothers FC were able to play in the 2010 Asian Champions League qualifiers which they lost and moved to the 2010 AFC Cup.