By Imtiaz Ahmed
Guwahati, Feb 14 : Nearly 14 years after Baichung Bhutia made the move to foreign shores to join English club FC Bury, Edon Junior Viegas do Amaral, a striker from former English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, will don Shillong Lajong colours in the I-League, India’s flagship football tournament.
Popularly known as Edinho Junior, the
1994-95 Premier League champion club’s centre-forward will be joining
Lajong on a short-term loan from February 16 and will be plying his
trade for the northeastern outfit in their remaining matches.
The 18-year-old Portuguese national of
Brazilian origin, who moved to Blackburn Rovers on a three-year contract
from Portuguese club SC Olhanense on July 25 last year, is the son of
former Brazilian international footballer Edon do Amaral Neto.
Edinho will be the sixth foreigner in the
ranks of the Shillong outfit — the others being two Nigerians, two
Japanese and a Korean. The signing will definitely provide Lajong a
decisive edge for the remainder of the season. The Shillong outfit are
facing relegation scare, placed 11th with only 19 points from 20 matches
in the 14-team league. They will face Pune FC, Mohun Bagan, ONGC and
Prayag United in the away matches and Mumbai FC at home in the remaining
matches, from March 24 onwards.
“We are thankful to Blackburn Rovers for
providing us with a player of Edinho’s ability. He will be an incisive
edge to our forward line and definitely add more onfield,” Shillong
Lajong general secretary Larsing Ming Sawyan said.
The signing of Edinho marks the first ever
loan transfer of a player from an international club of Rover’s stature
to any Indian club. Established in 1875, the Lancashire-based Blackburn
Rovers were a founder member of the Football League in 1888 and
eventually the Premier League, along with Aston Villa and Everton. They
currently compete in the Football League Championship on being relegated
from the Premier League after the 2011-12 season. “This exchange of
talent — a first of its kind in Indian football — will set a precedent
for future exchange of knowledge and information which, in turn, will
help drive football forward in India. Edinho is an exciting young player
and Indian fans will enjoy his exploits on the field,” said Dhruv
Ratra, CEO (sports and marketing) of Anglian Holdings, an overseas
stakeholder of Lajong FC.
Commenting on the development, Balaji Rao,
managing director of Venky’s London Limited, an Indian group that took
ownership of Rovers from local steel baron Jack Walker in 2010, said:
“We are pleased to be associated with Shillong Lajong FC through the
loan of young Edinho. We look forward to the opportunities to help
develop our players and football in India through strategic
partnerships.”
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