Churchill Brothers vs Dempo is shaping up to be one of the keenest rivalries in Indian football, and we get to see Part 1 of it this season at the Durand.
Move over Salgaocar vs Vasco, Churchill vs Dempo is the new Goan derby that pits the country’s two most successful and capable clubs in recent times, and promises to be a belter each time the teams take the field to face-off.
The two teams, despite flying the Goan flag, have significant differences in their make-up. The most recent I-League champions Churchill come from South Goa, are a side bankrolled by a politically influencial family in their area. They boast the most feared goal-machine plying its trade in Indian football in Odafe, and are heavily dependent on him to an incomparable extent. For the rest of their support cast, they depend primarily on the hard-working and disciplined lot of North-Eastern talent to complement the ability of their Nigerian recruits.
On the other hand, the pedigreed Dempo have been backed through the decades by the reputed corporate family of the same name based in North Goa, specifically Panjim. The club sticks close to its puritanical Goan ethos, boasting only a sprinkling of non-Goan talent in the likes of Abhijeet, Anwar, and Chetri to provide support to the posse of talented and ‘groomed through the ranks in the Dempo-style’ Goan locals. They depend on their two key foreigners in Ranty and Beto, but not wholly and completely.
While Churchill prefer a fast aggressive style of football, Dempo practice short and patient build-up to its languid best. The two styles provide quite a contrast when in full flow, but usually both are deathly effective when up against other opponents in Indian football, and as proved in the few matches played so far in the season by either team.
Which is why this Durand contest promises to be a typically intriguing affair. The two teams are inarguably the two favourites for the upcoming I-League season. Churchill have already tasted success with the IFA Shield trophy won comprehensively in Kolkata, while Dempo are boasting an overwhelming array of national team talent already combining ominously as witnessed in their 4-1 demolition of Air-India in the Durand group phase. The battle for a place in the Durand Final in this match is already going to involve the best teams, and the victor, whoever it might be, will not be undeserving of it.
Image and Report Source: IndianFootball.com
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Friday 18 September 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.