The news of Inter Kashi’s debut into the Indian football competition caused quite a stir. This season, the newly formed club will compete in the I-League. They have successfully completed the basic steps thanks to their collaboration with Atletico Madrid. Inter Kashi are undoubtedly a club to watch ahead of the new season, thanks to the appointment of veteran head coach Jose Santamarina and the fantastic facilities at their disposal. During a virtual encounter on Tuesday (September 12), Carlos Santamarina said that Inter Kashi intends to open an academy in the state in the near future.
“We are planning to create an academy, based in Varanasi. We have to still think about the strategy and of course, Atletico Madrid will provide the technical support, the coaches, and all the learnings we need to create a great academy. Our plan is to bring in kids right from the age of five.” said Santamarina.
Santamarina and assistant coach Javier Broch are among the La Liga giants’ coaching staff. In 2014, Atletico Madrid entered India as a part-owner of the Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Atletico de Kolkata. That collaboration came to an end in 2017. The majority owners of the ISL franchise “did not allow the development of the image of Atletico de Madrid through our academy in India,” according to the statement.
Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Marin had previously told the club’s website. Following cooperation with Mohun Bagan in 2020, ATK is currently known as Mohun Bagan Super Giant. Atletico Madrid then collaborated with Jamshedpur FC, but the Tata Football Academy was the primary focus. The deal ran from 2019 to 23.
” This first season we didn’t have much time and we are already making our main team in record time as the season is starting in a few days. But when the season starts we start working not just from here but even from Madrid about the next steps. The next step includes working with the youth. “ stated Carlos Santamarina.
“If Atletico is here, they are not thinking about just one season,” he added.
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Carlos Santamarina also spoke about the club’s current condition. They missed the Durand Cup 2023 and were slow to begin their team-building process. The priority for Inter Kashi is to prepare the first team for the 2023-24 I-League, which is set to begin in the last week of October, according to the coach.
Former Jamshedpur FC defender Peter Hartley, goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharja, striker Sumeet Passi, midfielder Sehnaj Singh, and Spanish winger Jordan Lamela are among those who have joined the new team. They’ve been working out for two weeks.
” The team is growing day by day. We are working hard, having double sessions on most days, and playing friendly games. Yes, we need time but we’ll try to work hard. We want to achieve our goals and like [Atletico Madrid manager] Diego Simeone always says, ‘We work day by day and game by game.” Carlos Santamarina stated in this regard.
“Of course, we aren’t like the team who played in the Durand Cup or have a set block of players for let’s say the past two years. We start from zero but we’ll give our best, you shouldn’t have any doubt about that,” Santamarina concluded.