Mohali: Minerva Punjab, northern India’s only club in the I-League, who begin their campaign against Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan in the season opener on Saturday, announced Apollo Tyres Ltd. as their title sponsor for the upcoming five years. The brand which sponsors the likes of European powerhouse Manchester United and Crystal Palace, have penned a five year major deal with the ‘Warriors.’
“It would be our pleasure to be associated with Minerva Punjab FC and contribute to Indian sports, especially at the grassroots level of football, where MPFC is already doing a fantastic job. This will also help us connect and engage with the fans of this club in the northern part of the country,” said Satish Sharma, President of the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA) regions, Apollo Tyres Ltd.
The association comes as a great boost to the Chandigarh based club who made their debut in the top-flight football of India, just a season ago and has successfully fought against all odds to remain on the perch. The academy based club has already contributed more than 30 players to Indian national team across various age groups, Including four to the Indian U-17 team that played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Jeakson Singh, India’s first and only goal scorer in a World Cup, hails from the academy and so does Anwar Ali, Nongdamba Naorem and Mohammad Shahjahan.
Ranjit Bajaj, owner and CEO of Minerva, who has been the D-faceto of all the developments in the club’s grass-root levels and the senior teams, spoke of the partnership saying, “Minerva Punjab FC is a brand new team of youngsters looking to make their presence felt in the top footballing contests of India. It gives us immense pleasure to be able to partner with the country’s leading tyre maker Apollo Tyres and bring them on board as our title sponsors. They have already been associated with some of the biggest clubs in world football, and we are delighted by this opportunity and look forward to a great season together.”
Apollo Tyres just recently announced their arrival in Indian football by becoming the title sponsor of the Indian Super League based franchise Chennaiyin FC. However, it’s associtaion with Minerva will be it’s very first step into the I-League. One of the most successful brands in the football areana it has alliance with various top names in world football. Apollo Tyres is also the Global Tyre Partner for English Premier League clubs, Manchester United and Crystal Palace, in addition to its association with Borussia Monchengladbach in the German Bundesliga.