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Full name | Viva Kerala Football Club [1] | ||
---|---|---|---|
Short name | VKFC | ||
Founded | 9 May 2004 (as Viva Kerala) | ||
Dissolved | 2012 | ||
Ground | EMS Corporation Stadium Jawahar Municipal Stadium Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | ||
Capacity | 80,000 30,000 80,000 | ||
Owner | Chirag United Sports Pvt Ltd | ||
Viva Kerala Football Club (also known as Chirag United Club Kerala) [2] was an Indian professional football club based in the city of Kochi, Kerala. [3] [4] [5] The club was originally formed in 2004 as Viva Kerala. [6] They participated in the National Football League, [7] [8] and later in the I-League, [9] [10] then the top tier of Indian football league system, [11] alongside the Kerala Premier League. [12] The club was dissolved in 2012. [13]
Described as one of the most talented and youngest sides in I-League, [14] [15] Viva Kerala was one of the unluckiest sides in domestic league history. [16] [17] The club was briefly managed by noted Indian coach T. K. Chatunni. [18] [19] They got dissolved in 2012.
Chirag United Club Kerala was formed on 8 August 2004 in Kochi. [20] [21] The club officially took off on 19 August in a ceremony at the FACT grounds. The team was predominantly formed by a group of businessmen who felt the need for the state's representation in country's domestic top flight league, the National Football League (NFL). [22] Viva Kerala's name is the result of a contest, won by Dr. P Ramakrishnan of Ernakulam. [23] The club became registered with Ernakulam District Football Association. [24] Later known as "Chirag Kerala", the club won the 2005–06 season of Kerala State Football League, [25] its only regional title. In September 2006, they emerged victorious in Tirur All-India Football Tournament in Tirur, beating Travancore Titanium XI 1–0. [26] They also reached the final of E. K. Nayanar Memorial Football Gold Cup in 2007 but lost at the end to the visiting Ghanaian club Nania Accra, by 3–0 margin. [27]
In 2007, the opportunity for an NFL spot came in the way of Second Division NFL. [28] Viva Kerala surprised everyone by finishing second in its group and qualified for the final phase. [29] In the final phase, they finished as runners-up of the Second Division NFL to book their place in the I-League 2007–08 on 6 April 2007. [23] [30] The club along with Salgaocar, were relegated to 2nd division at the end of I-league 2007–08, for the first time in the league history. [31] In the next season, Viva Kerala were promoted to the 2009–10 I-League, [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] after finishing runners-up in 2009 I-League 2nd Division. [37] [38] [39] In 2010, it was announced that I-League clubs needed to complete the AFC club licensing criteria; Viva Kerala signed P. K. Kunhikrishnan (A-licensed coach) as the new head coach. [40] In August 2011, Chirag Computers was announced as the to be new majority owners and the club name would change to Chirag United Club Kerala. [23]
In June 2011, Kolkata-based Chirag Computers bought the financially troubled Viva Kerala. They took over a 60% stake in the club while original owners retained a 40% stake. They also changed the name of the club to Chirag United Club Kerala. [41] Chirag Computers have also said that they might move the team to Kolkata if they do not find a suitable stadium in Kerala. [42] The name of the team was officially changed to Chirag United Club Kerala on 6 August 2011. While the new owners announced that team will be based in Kerala for the 2011–12 I-League, there were talks of shifting the team to Kolkata after the season. This would leave the state of Kerala without representation in the I-League. [43] Many supporters of the club had come out strongly against this idea.
Chirag was eliminated from the Federation Cup in the group stages when they lost all three group D matches; [44] Team coach K. P. Kunhikrishan was replaced by Sri Lankan manager Mohamed Nizam Packeer Ally. [45] [46] He guided the team in I-League. [47] Pakir was sacked in February after a poor run; Ananta Kumar Ghosh was appointed coach while Biswajit Bhattacharya was appointed technical director. [48] Chirag finished second to last at 12th in the 2011–12 I-League season, Pailan Arrows had finished 13th were exempted from relegation as a "developmental team", and so Chirag relegated. [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] Though in that season, they achieved fame after giving a tough fight to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Botafogo in their 1–0 defeat at a group stage match in 2012 IFA Shield. [2] Players may have had difficulty being paid when Chirag Computers may not have released sponsorship money to the club, and the reason why club got dissolved. [54] [55] [56] [57]
The Chirag crest was very colourful. It shows a yellow shield with the words "Chirag United Kerala", which is imposed over a coconut tree and a soccer ball. [58] [59]
Period | Kit Manufacturers | Shirt Sponsor |
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2004–2010 | Adidas | |
2010–2011 | Musli Power X-tra [60] | |
2011–2012 | RP Clothing | Chirag Computers [61] |
Ever since their creation Chirag United Kerala have used multiple stadiums in Kerala. [24] For their first three I-League seasons Chirag used the Municipal Corporation Stadium which holds a capacity of 80,000 in Kozhikode, [62] [63] [64] and Jawahar Municipal Stadium which holds a capacity of 30,000 in Kannur. [65]
They then after getting bought by Chirag Computers decided to move to the Jawarharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi which boasts a capacity of 70,000 and has working floodlights. [2] They played all their home games of 2011–12 I-League at the Jawarharlal Nehru International Stadium. [2]
Chiang United Kerala shared rivalries with other Kerala-based clubs including Kerala Police FC, SBI Kerala, [66] FC Kochin, Travancore Titanium XI and Quartz Calicut, [67] [68] [69] whom they faced in both the domestic and regional leagues.
The club was established in 2004 by a group of businessmen with an objective to represent Kerala in higher circles of domestic football in India. [70] Interestingly, the name of the club was arrived upon through a public contest organised by the promoters of the club. [71] [72]
The club was run by Musli Power X-tra Kunnath Pharmaceuticals. In July 2011, Chirag Computers came in and brought full stake in the club, changing the name to "Chirag United Club Kerala". [73] [74] [75]
The following foreign players of Viva Kerala have been capped at senior/youth international level , with their respective countries. Years in brackets indicate their spells at the club.
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Name | Nationality | Years | Note |
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T. K. Chathunni | ![]() | 2004–2006 | [87] |
A. M. Sreedharan | ![]() | 2006–2010 | [88] |
K. P. Kunhikrishan | ![]() | 2010–2011 | [89] |
Mohamed Nizam Packeer Ally | ![]() | 2011–2012 | [90] |
Ananta Kumar Ghosh | ![]() | 2012 | [91] |
Competition | Round | Year | Opposition | Score | Venue | City | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E. K. Nayanar Memorial Gold Cup | Group stages | 2007 | ![]() | 4–1 | Kannur Municipal Corporation Stadium | Kannur | [92] |
E. K. Nayanar Memorial Gold Cup | Group stage | 2007 | ![]() | 2–1 | Kannur Municipal Corporation Stadium | Kannur | [93] |