I-League: Dempo Sports Club to reduce budget

PANAJI: I-League champions and the country's best most successful football team for the last 12 years, Dempi Sports Club, have decided to reduce their budget for the ensuing season.

With absolutely no returns on their investments, Dempo decided to take remedial steps, especially since salaries of players have been spiralling out of control.

--> Dempo group of companies chairman Shrinivas Dempo conceded that he would bring down the club's budget by at least 15-20 percent. The club had a budget of Rs 13 crore last season.

"Despite making sincere efforts, we have not been able to sign a sponsor simply because there are no return on investments. I concede that there will be no sponsorship for the next two years.

"We have to try and see how he will keep pushing for the title and also manage the budget. My budget has to go down. It's clearly unsustainable," explained Dempo, who was negotiating with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan but those negotiations have now drawn to a close.

Dempo said, for the ensuing season, the club intends to prepare two teams: one to compete in the I-League and the other will challenge in the Goa Pro League and other domestic competitions.

"We need to prepare equally competent teams. We will allot a part of the budget (from the senior side) to the juniors," said the Dempo chairman.