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NorthEast United FC

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NorthEast United
Full nameNorthEast United Football Club
Nickname(s)The Highlanders
Short nameNEUFC
Founded13 April 2014; 10 years ago (2014-04-13)
GroundIndira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
Capacity21,600
Owner(s)John Abraham
Jaya Balan
ChairpersonPriya Runchal
Head coachJuan Pedro Benali
LeagueIndian Super League
2023–24Indian Super League, 7th of 12
Playoffs: DNQ
Websiteneutdfc.com
Current season

NorthEast United Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Guwahati, Assam that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL),[1] the top flight of Indian football.[2] The club was founded on 13 April 2014 during the inaugural season of Indian Super League. NorthEast United represents the 8 states of North East India, consisting of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Mizoram.[3][4]

History

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Formation

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In early 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG-Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of nine selected cities for the upcoming Indian Super League, an eight-team franchise league modeled along the lines of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament.[5] On 13 April 2014, it was announced that the Bollywood actor John Abraham and Shillong Lajong Football Club had won the bidding for the franchise.

On 16 July 2014, the club signed Joan Capdevila, a European Championship and World Cup winning defender with Spain, as its marquee player. He said: "India is a huge country and it should be a privilege for me to be a small part in popularizing this global game here and working with the young talented footballers of North East India".[6]

On 19 August the club hired its first manager, New Zealander Ricki Herbert, who had represented his nation at the 1982 World Cup and managed New Zealand at the 2010 World Cup.[7]

2014 season: Inaugural season

[edit]
Spain international Joan Capdevila, club's first marquee player.[8]

On 13 October 2014, the team won their first ISL match at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, with Spaniard Koke scoring the only goal of the game to defeat Kerala Blasters.[9] The team did not make the end-of-season play-offs, finishing in last place among the eight teams.

2015 season: Narrowly missed play-offs

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For their second season, NorthEast United signed former Portugal international Simão Sabrosa as their new marquee signing.[10] On 1 July 2015, the team announced their manager for the 2015 season, former Venezuela national coach, César Farías.[11] The team lost all three of their opening matches with Simão absent through injury, but then earned a 2–0 home win over Chennaiyin FC in which the marquee player won and dispatched an added-time penalty kick to open the scoring.[12] The club entered the top-four for semi-finals by the end of the season but lost their position to Chennaiyin, who defeated Pune City to gain 3 points and secure the spot.[citation needed]

2016 season: Nelo Vingada, Velez, Alfaro era

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On 13 May 2016, NorthEast United announced Sérgio Farias as the club's new manager.[13] However, Farias joined his former club Suphanburi FC for a second stint forcing NorthEast United to look for a new coach. On 9 July 2016, NorthEast United officially announced Sérgio Farias' exit.[14] On 23 July 2016, NorthEast United announced Nelo Vingada as the club's new manager.[15] The club also appointed Francisco Bruto Da Costa as their Assistant Manager.[16] The club again got a chance to enter the top-four for semi-finals if they defeat Kerala Blasters, but lost and hence, losing their semi-final chance. The club scored 14 goals and conceded 14 goals in that season. More than half of the goals (8) were scored by the South American duo Nicholas Velez and Emiliano Alfaro with 3 and 5 goals respectively.[citation needed]

2017–18 season: A forgettable campaign

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On 17 July 2017, in hope for a great season NorthEast United signed the young Portuguese manager Joao Carlos Pires de Deus.[17] After playing its preseason games in Antalya, Turkey. The team began its season against the ISL debutants Jamshedpur FC. The game ended in a draw with neither side managing to find the back of the net despite NorthEast playing against a 10 men Jamshedpur in the last 20 minutes.[18] Next they played Chennaiyin FC in Chennai, where they failed to keep the record of never losing in Chennai after losing 3–0.[19] NorthEast witnessed their first win of the season where they defeated Delhi Dynamos 0–2 in the opponent's ground. The first goal of the match came from Marcinho in the 17th minute, when a cross by Halicharan Narzary from the left flank found him unmarked inside the box. The second goal came from the striker Danilo in the 22nd minute, when he pressured the Delhi custodian Albino Gomes and made him make error inside his own box, leaving an open goal for Danilo to score his first and last goal of the season and, 500th goal of the league.[20] It was followed by a 4 match losing streak right after which the Portuguese manager was sacked.[21] The team management brought in the ex-Chelsea boss Avram Grant as a technical advisor who acted as a caretaker manager in the absence of Joao.[22] He was later promoted to Head Coach on 12 January 2018, after the team released an official statement about Joao's sacking.[23] The team won 2 out of the first 3 games under Grant, where they defeated FC Goa 2–1[24] and Chennaiyin FC 3–1[25] at home. Seiminlen Doungel scored the first ever hat-trick for NorthEast United in that match. The team failed to win a single match after that, ending the season in a long 8 match winless streak in which they drew 1 match and lost all other matches. During the league season, they managed to win only 3 matches with a total score of 12, and they finished at the lowest position in the league points table. This had happened once before, in the inaugural season, but their score that time had been better. Thus, this was the worst season for the club in its existence.

On 19 February 2018, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced the Indian Super Cup as a replacement for the Federation Cup. It will be played between 16 teams, the top 6 teams of ISL and I-League and the remaining 4 will be picked through a qualifier played between the bottom 4 from both league. NorthEast United participated in the Cup Qualifiers for the 4 remaining spots. NorthEast United played their qualifier match against Gokulam Kerala on 15 March 2018 which they lost 2–0 and got eliminated.[citation needed]

2018–19 season: Eelco Schatorrie era, maiden play-offs

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2018-19 is the fifth season of the club's existence. The season started with a positive start under coach Eelco Schatorrie with NorthEast United drawing with Goa and two consecutive wins over ATK and defending champions Chennaiyin. Against Chennaiyin, NorthEast United made a thrilling comeback after down 3–1 in 35th minute to 3–3 in first half and winning the match 4–3. After Some thrilling victories against Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyan the club strengthened its way to the playoffs. After playing 17 matches and getting 28 points Northeast United finally qualified for the playoffs with Jamshedpur losing a chance to the playoffs with a draw against Chennaiyan FC and also for Super Cup. They lost the fewest matches and conceded the fewest goals of any team in the league. They also made a club record of 29 points. Former Nigerian international Bartholomew Ogbeche became the highest goalscorer of the club scoring 12 goals. NorthEast United became a major force in the league driven by the trio of Borges-Ogbeche-Gallego. They defeated Bengaluru in the first leg of semi-finals with 'Boot Jolokia' Mascia scoring in the dying moments in the game. Northeast United lost their second leg against Bengaluru which also saw Federico Gallego getting injured. The aggregate score was 4–2.

In the Super Cup, the team reached quarter-finals after fellow northeastern club NEROCA didn't play the match in round of 16 hence, giving them a walkover. In the quarter-finals, they lost to Chennaiyin by 1–2. After a successful season, the team was 'dismantled'. Head Coach Schattorie and top-scorer Ogbeche moving to Kerala Blasters, Borges moving to Mumbai City.

2019–20 season

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The club appointed Robert Jarni, as their head coach and also signed the Ghanaian legend Asamoah Gyan and Indian U17 youngsters Ninthoi Meetei and Lalengmawia. The season started well for the club and they managed to stay unbeaten for 6 games and on the top half of the table. But the club failed to carry on the momentum and remained winless for the rest of the season. The club also lost their scoring boots not managing to score in 6 matches out of 7 matches that followed and losing its Marquee striker Asamoah Gyan to an injury in the early half of the season. The head coach Robert Jarni was sacked in the later half of the season and replaced by Assistant Manager and Head of academy Khalid Jamil. Robert Jarni managed his final match against Jamshedpur which ended in a 3–3 draw. The club failed to reach the play-offs, and were at 9th place at the end of the season.

2020–22 season: Khalid Jamil era

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The club appointed Gerard Nus, a Spanish manager as their head coach and also signed the Mauritanian international Khassa Camara, Ghanaian striker Kwesi Appiah and Belgian defender Benjamin Lambot. The club announced the retention of their star goalkeeper Subashish Roy and some local Indian players. They also retained Uruguyan midfielder Federico Gallego. They signed some Indian players including Rocharzella, Imran, Ashutosh Mehta and Gurjinder Kumar. They signed Luis Machado, Idrissa Sylla and Dylan Fox as their AFC player. The team played their first match of the season against Mumbai City and won it by 1-0 as Kwesi Appiah scored a penalty. The club parted ways with coach Gerard Nus after 11 matches in the ISL season.[26] He was replaced by Khalid Jamil as interim head coach.[27] Under Khalid, the club saw a nine match unbeaten run, which also helped in reaching the play-offs for second time in their history.[28] On road to play-off, they also made a ten match unbeaten run, their longest ever. The club drew 1–1 with ATK Mohun Bagan in first leg of semi-final and lost the second leg 1–2, thus ending their campaign with 2–3 on aggregate and 11 game unbeaten run.[29]

On 23 October 2021, Jamil was appointed as the head coach of NorthEast United, making him the first Indian permanent head coach of an ISL club.[30] Under his guidance, NorthEast began its 2021–22 Indian Super League campaign on 20 November with a 4–2 loss to Bengaluru FC.[31] NorthEast United FC had a forgetful 2021–22 season after the highs of the 2020–21 season. They had a sluggish start to the season as injuries and issues off the pitch dictated their on field performances. The ISL's first ever Indian head coach Khalid Jamil failed to live up to everyone's expectations as the Highlanders finished 10th on the league standings.

2022–23 season

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On 11 August 2022, NorthEast United announced the signing of Marco Balbul as their manager for the upcoming season.[32] NorthEast United appointed Paul Groves and Floyd Pinto as their assistant manager for the upcoming season.[33][34] On 8 December 2022, Vincenzo Alberto Annese joined NorthEast United as the new head coach after the club sacked Marco Balbul mid-season.[35]

2023–24 season

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On 22 May 2023, NorthEast United appointed Juan Pedro Benali as the team's Head Coach on a 1+1 year deal. The club reached the final of the 2024 Durand Cup and won it for the first time.[36] This was the first major silverware win in the club's history.[37][38]

Crest, colours and kits

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The crest of NorthEast United FC is featured with 8 stars at the top representing each state of Northeast India. The crest is designed with red, black and white applications, with the club name written in bold letters between the main crest and the stars. The club changed the crest with an entirely gold crest for its third season of ISL. It was changed back to the original color after the end of the season.[citation needed]

Kit evolution

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2014
2015
2016–18
2018–19
2019–21
2021–22
2022–23
2023–24
2024–present

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

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Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Back sponsor Chest sponsor Sleeve sponsor
2014-15 Adidas HTC Haier Garnier Men
2015-16 Performax AirAsia
2016-17 Payism Yamaha McDowell's No.1
2017-18 McDowell's No.1 Jio Garnier Men
2018-19 GNC
2019-20 Federal Bank[39] Stihl JA Entertainment McDowell's No.1
2020-21 JA Entertainment Parimatch News
2021-22 SIX5SIX Amrit Cement Imperial Blue BKT
2022-23 Meghalaya Tourism[40] Parcos Dream11
2023-24 Trak-Only IndianOil
2024-25 Coal India ATX Dignity Health

Stadium

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Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, Assam, home of NorthEast United.

NorthEast United FC plays their home matches at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati. In 2014, to meet FIFA regulations, the stadium was renovated and its capacity was increased from 12,000 to 35,000. Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium hosted the opening ceremony of ISL 2016. NorthEast had the highest attendance on 20 October 2016, when a record attendance of 32,844 turned up to witness the match between NorthEast United and Chennaiyin FC. The capacity was again reduced to 23,850 after the installation of bucket seats for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The stadium saw the lowest attendance in the history of ISL when only 1,121 fans turned up to witness the match played between NorthEast United and Kerala Blasters on 17 February 2018.[41]

From 2020 to 2022, due to COVID-19 pandemic, all the games were played in the state of Goa. Club played their home games at Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco da Gama for 2020–21 season and Fatorda Stadium, Margao for 2021–22 season.[42]

Supporters

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The unofficial supporters group of the club is "Highlander Brigade".[43][44][45] The fan club can be traced back to its roots where it was merely a WhatsApp group formed out of a handful of followers of a Facebook page "NorthEast United FC Fans". They not only support NorthEast United but also support the Indian team.

Before the fourth season of the Indian Super League, keeping an eye on the occasion, a major chunk of the group members decided to meet and attempt to do something big. And under the tutelage of key members helming certain responsibilities, the Brigade grew and spread out rapidly.

The Highlander Brigade host football-related events in the city. To ensure that the football culture remains proactive in the city, the brigade plans to indulge in more fan activities in the future as well.[43]

Even after a lacklustre fourth season for the club, the Highlander Brigade could be seen cheering them on with the red-white-black flags and banners thumping down the beats.

Players

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Current squad

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As of 1 August 2024[46]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK India IND Gurmeet Singh
2 DF India IND Dinesh Singh
3 DF India IND Tondonba Singh
4 DF Spain ESP Míchel Zabaco
5 DF Morocco MAR Hamza Regragui
6 MF Morocco MAR Mohammed Ali Bemammer
9 FW Spain ESP Guillermo Fernández
10 FW Spain ESP Néstor Albiach
11 FW India IND Parthib Gogoi
12 DF India IND Asheer Akhtar
13 MF India IND Mayakkannan
14 FW Morocco MAR Alaaeddine Ajaraie
15 MF India IND Macarton Nickson
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 FW India IND Ankith Padmanabhan
17 DF India IND Robin Yadav
18 MF India IND Jithin MS
19 MF India IND Huidrom Thoi Singh
20 GK India IND Dipesh Chauhan
22 MF India IND Redeem Tlang
23 MF India IND Bekey Oram
26 MF India IND Phalguni Singh
32 GK India IND Mirshad Michu
33 MF India IND Shighil Nambrath
36 MF India IND Shajan Franklin
66 FW India IND Fredy Chawngthansanga
77 DF India IND Buanthanglun Samte

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW India IND Alfred Lalroutsang (at Rajasthan United until 31 May 2025)

Ownership

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NorthEast United is owned by John Abraham, who is an Indian Bollywood actor, producer and former model.[47] They also have Jaya Balan, a perfume businessman as their partner and co-owner.[48]

The consortium that bid for the franchise also included then Meghalaya based I-League club Shillong Lajong FC and their owner Larsingh Ming Sawyan, and Guwahati-based businessman Sanjiv Narain. Sanjiv Narain exited before the start of the first season, while Shillong Lajong exited the partnership by the end of second season.[48]

During his younger days, John had an ambition for playing football for India before becoming an actor. When he got the opportunity for investing in a football club during the formation of ISL, instead of investing in his hometown of Mumbai, he invested in Northeast India, a football hotbed in the country. His wife Priya Runchal is the chairperson of the club.[49]

Personnel

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Management

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Position Name Refs.
Owner(s) India John Abraham (95%)
India Jaya Balan (5%)
Chairperson United States Priya Runchal [49]
CEO India Mandar Tamhane [50]
Head of Academy India Naushad Moosa [51]
Team Manager India Shahashad Muhammed
Lead, Operations India Rohit Thorat
Lead, Strategy & Operations India Rajat Bhakare

Current technical staff

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As of 1 June 2023
Position Name Refs.
Head coach Spain Juan Pedro Benali [52]
Assistant coach India Naushad Moosa [53]
Goalkeeping coach Spain Manuel Diez Aznar
Strength and Conditioning coach Spain Javier Caballero
Team analyst India Meet Mandavia [54]
Physiotherapists India Kapil Sharma
India Dileep Kumar Jagadesan
India Sony Chittilappilly Sunny
Club doctor India Dr Abhinav
Reserves and U-18 head coach India Subam Rabha

Statistics and records

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Reserves and academy

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK India IND Khoirom Jackson Singh
2 DF India IND Joni Rabha
4 DF India IND Sampow Rongmei
5 DF India IND Lanchenba Maibam
6 MF India IND Basanta Boro
8 MF India IND Denis Bodo
9 FW India IND Dipu Mirdha
10 MF India IND Muktasana Gotimayum
11 MF India IND Madhujya Bora
12 FW India IND Alfred Lalroutsang
14 MF India IND Ningthoujam Binan Singh
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF India IND Chiranjeet Gogoi
17 DF India IND Bimol Singh
19 DF India IND Bishnu Rabha
20 MF India IND Anupam Borgohain
27 MF India IND Sandeep Thapa
28 DF India IND Jirjar Terang
36 FW India IND Jwangbla Brahma
MF India IND Pragyan Medhi
MF India IND Laishram Danny Meitei
DF India IND Mukul Panwar

Statistics and records

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Season-by-season

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As of 17 July 2022
Season GSA C Division Top Scorer
P W D L GF GA Pts Position Playoffs Player Goals
2022 4 4 0 0 33 1 12 1st (Group B) Champions India Jitu Ahmed 6

Honours

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Domestic

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AFC club ranking

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As of 15 January 2023[56]
Rank Team Points
365 Thailand Sisaket 1,210
366 Lebanon Islah 1,209
367 India NorthEast United 1,208
368 Jordan Ittihad Al-Ramtha 1,208
369 Iran Esteghlal Ahvaz 1,207

Esports

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The organizers of ISL introduced eISL, a FIFA video game tournament, for the ISL playing clubs, each represented by two players. NorthEast United FC hosted a series of qualifying games for all the participants wanting to represent the club in eISL. NorthEast United FC’s Saransh Jain and Emaad Jameel Ahmed won the second season of the eISL after defeating Bengaluru FC’s Sagnik Banerjee and Charanjot Singh 2-1 in the finals.[57]

Current roster[58]

[edit]
NorthEast United eSports FIFA roster
Players Coaches
Handle Name Nationality
Emaadrox Ahmed, Emaad Jameel India
saranshjain12 Jain, Saransh India
Head coach

George Cork [59]


Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: 27 April 2023.

Honours

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E-ISL

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  • Champions: 2023,[60] 2024

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "ISL 2021-22: Bengaluru FC Record Classic 4-2 Win Against NorthEast United". Outlook India. 20 November 2021. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  2. ^ Basu, Saumyajit. "Stars embrace football through Indian Super League". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 June 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  3. ^ "John Abraham: From Bollywood star to the football boardroom at NorthEast United". 23 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  4. ^ "Sports in Meghalaya — Association football (NEUFC)". meghalayaonline.in. The Meghalaya Online. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
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  40. ^ "A partnership made in the home of clouds 🤩 Delighted to welcome 𝗠𝗲𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 to the Highlanders family as our 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 for the upcoming season 🤝". @NEUtdFC. 2 October 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
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  43. ^ a b Desk, Digital (21 November 2020). "Highlander Brigade highlights Northeast India's rich football heritage through graffiti » News Live TV » Sports". News Live TV. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  44. ^ "Highlander Brigade write open letter to NorthEast United". Khel Now. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  45. ^ NorthEast United FC team profile Archived 2 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine Sportskeeda. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  46. ^ "Players". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  47. ^ "About Us". www.neutdfc.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
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  50. ^ "NorthEast United appoints Mandar Tamhane as CEO". Sportstar. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  51. ^ "Join us in giving a warm welcome to Naushad Moosa, our new Assistant Coach". @NEUtdFC. 1 June 2023.
  52. ^ "NorthEast United FC appoint Juan Pedro Benali as head coach". indiansuperleague.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  53. ^ "Join us in giving a warm welcome to Naushad Moosa, our new Assistant Coach". @NEUtdFC. 1 June 2023.
  54. ^ "A meticulous addition! Join us in welcoming our new 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁, Meet Mandavia! ❤️🤍🖤". @NEUtdFC. 29 August 2022. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
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  59. ^ "eISL Gaming on Instagram: "The Highlanders' eCoach George delves into the @northeastunitedfc boys' tactics and measures for the semifinals! 🗣️ 📹 Watch all the action from the #eISLPlayoffs today on our YouTube channel! #FUT #eISL #FGS #FIFA #FUT23 #FIFA23"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  60. ^ "eISL Gaming on Instagram: "𝐖𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐀 𝑵𝑬𝑼 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍! 🤩 Congratulations @ej_emaad, Saransh and @northeastunitedfc ! ❤️ #FUT #eISL #FGS #FIFA #FUT23 #FIFA23"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.

Further reading

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