Rajasthan United FC

Rajasthan United Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Jaipur, Rajasthan.[2][3][4] Founded in 2018 as JECRC CF, the academy team participated in inaugural edition of R-League A Division in 2019, and clinched the title. In 2020, JECRC CF was rebranded as Rajasthan United.[5] The club is currently competing in I-League, the second tier of Indian football league system.[6][7][8]

Rajasthan United
Full nameRajasthan United Football Club
Nickname(s)Desert Warriors[1]
Short nameRUFC
Founded2018 (2018)
(as Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre CF)
GroundVidyadhar Nagar Stadium (proposed)
Capacity6,000, (Under Construction)
OwnerR.U.F.C. Sports Private Limited
Head coachPushpender Kundu
LeagueI-League
2022–23I-League, 9th of 12
WebsiteClub website

Rajasthan United won the 2021 I-League Qualifiers and thus became the first ever club from the state to qualify for I-League.[9][10]

History

Rajasthan United FC is the premier professional football club based in Jaipur. The club was founded in 2018 by an engineering student Kamal Singh Saroha, with his colleagues and friends as JECRC CF (Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre), and re-branded as Rajasthan United in 2020,[5][11] after the introduction of Rajat Mishra and Swapnil Dhaka as the co-founders.[12] In its first year of inception, they managed to win the R-League A Division.[13][14] In the second season, United came out as runners-up and earned a spot for the I-League qualifiers.

Players and personnel of Rajasthan United at the New Bengaluru Football Stadium in Karnataka, during I-League Qualifiers in 2021.

In collaboration with Witty International School, they set up its residential football academy in Bhilwara.[15] In 2021, United were crowned champions of the I-League Qualifiers, thus becoming the first club from Rajasthan to qualify for the I-League.[16][17][18] In December, the club appointed Spanish manager Francesc Bonet as new head coach.[19][20]

Rajasthan United player (in red), in action against Aizawl on a matchday of I-League, at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in March 2022.

On 26 December 2021, they made their I-League debut against RoundGlass Punjab with only nine players, in which they were defeated by 2–0. United later roped in former La Liga player Mauro dos Santos of Argentina.[21] The club reached championship stage of 2021–22 I-League and ended their campaign as sixth in league table.[22]

Rajasthan United director of football Kamal Singh Saroha in 2023 during an I-League match at the Rajib Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl

Rajasthan United began their 2022–23 season campaign at the 131st edition of Durand Cup[23][24] on 20 August with a magnificent 3–2 win against Indian Super League side ATK Mohun Bagan.[25] The club moved to the quarter-finals, defeating Indian Navy in the final group game, but was eliminated losing 3–1 to Hyderabad at the end.[26] In November, the club reached final of Baji Rout Cup in Odisha, in which they clinched title defeating Churchill Brothers in penalty shootout.[27][28] When the 2022–23 I-League began, the club again faced Churchill Brothers in their first match, and earned three points with 2–1 win.[29] In December, the club participated in Dausa Gold Cup in Rajasthan,[30] in which they finished as runners-up after 1–0 defeat to FC Kerala.[31]

Stadiums

Rajasthan United FC uses Rajasthan University Sports Complex in Jaipur as their home ground, and sometimes the Witty Sports Club ground.[32] In October 2022, the club announced that they will use Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi for matches of 2022–23 I-League, as the traditional home and away games format was reinstalled.[33] Before 2021, in few matches of the state league, they used Sawai Mansingh Stadium.[34]

In April 2023, Rajasthan United announced that the club will use Vidyadhar Nagar Stadium in Jaipur in the 2023–24 I-League season.[35]

Crest, colours & kits

The club's crest features historical monuments of Rajasthan, Maharana Pratap and Thar desert in background with R.U.F.C. monogram.[36] It symbolises rich and royal culture and heritage of Rajasthan.

Ravi Kumar Punia in official away kit of Rajasthan United in 2021

Club colours are maroon, white and pink.

Kit manufacturer and shirt sponsors
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2019–2020 AIO Sports[37] Fire1on1[38]
2021 MISTK
2021–2022 Ambition Sportswear Purnima University[39]
2022– 2023 Omtex Sports[40]
2023– present AIO Sports

Players

First-team squad
As of 31 July 2023

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK India IND Sachin Jha
2 DF India IND Naresh Singh
3 DF India IND Suraj Negi
4 DF India IND Banpynkhrawnam Nongkhlaw
5 DF India IND Amritpal Singh
8 MF India IND Zoma Vanlalzahawhma
9 FW India IND Amit Godara
10 MF India IND Ragav Gupta
11 MF India IND William Neihsial
12 GK India IND Anant Shah
13 MF India IND Jacob John Kattookaren
14 FW India IND Alister Anthony
16 MF India IND Jirjar Terang
17 MF India IND Lalchungnunga Chhangte (on loan from Hyderabad)
18 MF India IND Suraj Chettri
19 DF India IND Sairuat Kima
20 MF India IND Lalremruata HP
21 DF India IND Gautam Virwani
22 FW Ghana GHA Richardson Denzell
24 MF India IND Yash Tripathi
28 DF India IND Md Fayazuddin Shah
No. Pos. Nation Player
32 FW India IND Owais Khatib
33 DF India IND Sanit Dhadwal
42 GK India IND Gaurav Kumar Singh
50 DF Ghana GHA Matthew Dunga
71 DF India IND Sanwil D'Costa
88 MF India IND Lalhunmawia Chhakchhuak
93 DF India IND Hardik Bhatt (captain)
— MF India IND Gou Kuki
— MF India IND Pravitto Raju
— DF India IND Lalbiakzuala
— MF India IND Zothanpuia
— DF India IND Mohit Singh Verito
— FW India IND Sawma Tlangte
— FW India IND Syed Suhail Pasha
— FW India IND Chirag Bhujel
— DF Brazil BRA Jefferson Oliveira
— FW Brazil BRA Dário Júnior
— FW Brazil BRA Paulo Vyctor
— DF India IND Novin Gurung
— DF India IND Shouvik Ghosh
— GK India IND Rafique Ali Sardar

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW India IND Lalremsanga Fanai (at Mohammedan until 31 May 2024)

Personnel

Current technical staff
As of 14 September 2022
Role Name Refs.
Head coach India Pushpender Kundu
Assistant coach India Prashant J Singh
Technical Director Italy Alexander Garini
Strength and conditioning coach India Pushpendra Singh
Goalkeeping coach India Joel Prabhakar Raj
Physio India Ashwin Kumar P.
Team manager India Nikhil Shetty

Records and statistics

Overall records
As of 3 April 2023
Season Division Teams Position Avg. attendance Super Cup Durand Cup AFC Champions League AFC Cup
2021 I-League 2nd Division 9 1st 🔒 Closed Doors

▼

 Did not participate

▼

 Did not participate

▼

 Did not qualify

▼

 Did not qualify

▼

2021–22 I-League 13 6th
2022–23 12 9th 1,369 Qualifying-playoff Quarter-finals

Season by season
As of 3 April 2023
⭐Top scorer in division
🇮🇳Top Indian scorer in division
Season League Finals Super Cup Other competitions Top scorer(s)
Division Pld W D L GF GA Pts Pos Durand Cup Player(s) Goals
2021 I-League 2nd Division 6 3 3 0 8 4 12 Champions — Did not participate

▼

 Did not participate

▼

 India Sukhjit Singh
India Aman Thapa		 2
2021–22 I-League 18 5 7 6 16 16 22 6th — Uzbekistan Sardor Jakhonov
India Alocious Muthayyan
Spain Pedro Manzi
India Pritam Singh		 3
2022–23 22 7 4 11 19 32 25 9th — Qualifying-playoff Quarter-finals Kyrgyzstan Aidar Mambetaliev 4

Managerial record
As of 3 April 2023
NameNationalityFromToPWDLGFGAWin%Ref.
Vikrant Sharma  India 2020 2021 6 3 3 0 8 4 050.00 [41]
Francesc Bonet  Spain 2021 2022 18 5 7 6 16 16 027.78 [12]
Pushpender Kundu  India 2022 till now 28 9 6 13 28 44 032.14 [1]

Notable players

Past and present internationals

The players below have senior/youth international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Rajasthan United.[42]

Honours

League

Cup

RUFC youth

Youth football is practiced in Rajasthan United FC, and their U17 team for the first time, took part in the 2022–23 U-17 Youth Cup in January 2023.[57][58] The club launched a residential football academy in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, in 2021, collaborating with Poornima University.[59][60]

Honours

  • Rajasthan U-17 Senior Open Tournament
    • Runners-up (1): 2022–23[61]

Affiliated club(s)

The following club is currently affiliated/associated with Rajasthan United FC:

  • India Kohima Town Club (2022–present)[62]

See also

Footnotes
  1. The tournament is known fully as "All India Late Captain Pratap Singh Memorial Football Tournament; The Reserve team of Rajasthan United FC finished as runner-up in 2023

References
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Further reading

Cited sources

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