News of Mumbai football giants Mahindra United pulling out of all forms of competitive football has left the players devastated
Newsu00a0of Mumbai football giants Mahindra United pulling out of all forms of competitive football has left the
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| Mahindra United skipper K Ajayan (right) during an I-League match at the Cooperage. PIC/ATUL KAMBLE |
players devastated.
"They called us today and told us that they are pulling the teams out, including U-16, U-19 and the senior team. How can a club of such magnitude and so much history shut down like this? We all feel cheated and a few players had tears in their eyes." said senior team captain K Ajayan.
According to the former India international, the issue was handled in a very insensitive manner and the move would leave lesser-known players in the lurch next season. "They should have told us internally first and allowed the players to negotiate deals with other clubs before making it public. Since the news is out, the demand for players will be less and clubs will take advantage of this," felt Ajayan.
On a personal note, the Red Devils captain said he never had problems with anyone at the club. "I have given so much to the club. Even if I had problems at home, I didn't miss matches and always gave my club duties a priority. That's how much I loved this team," he said.
Ajayan revealed that he had rejected lucrative offers from other clubs to stay at Mahindra. "I am just trying to emphasise the fact that the atmosphere in the team was fantastic and there were no problems in relations between management and players."
He feared for the emerging players: "If a club like Mahindra can shut down like this, what security do the emerging players have?"
