In Indian football, stories like this are not rare. With limited funds and almost no support for grassroots programs, academies are often forced to fend for themselves, turning to personal loans and public donations to give their players a chance for international exposure.
Minerva Academy Football Club is a premier professional football club and academy based in Mohali, Punjab. It is a fully residential club and academy. It operates as a “School of Excellence” where professional football training is integrated with academic studies and on-campus residential facilities.
Bajaj and his team arrived in Spain on March 25 to compete in the MIC Cup, which is scheduled to start on April 1.
“The whole process was very difficult. Initially, the visas were rejected and we thought our dreams would be shattered. Finally, we got the visas. The crowdfunding as on March 26 was around Rs 45 lakh. We hope to get another Rs 10-15 lakh. My total personal loan is around Rs 2 crore,” Bajaj said.
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International exhibition
In 2022, the Minerva Under-12 team lifted the MINA Cup, a youth football competition held annually in Dubai. The tournament attracts elite academies from around the world, including teams such as Manchester City, FC Barcelona and Liverpool. Minerva then won the Under-13 category at the Gothia Cup in Sweden in 2023. Last year in July, Minerva’s Under-14 team clinched the Dana Cup title in Denmark, defeating Maltese KFF Club 15-0 in the final.
“During the Dana Cup, I had to mortgage my wife’s gold to raise funds. For the MIC Cup, it was my turn. The ultimate goal is to improve the Indian football team and make it qualify for a senior FIFA World Cup,” Bajaj said, adding that Indian football fans are actually putting pressure on the team.
“We never expected to raise Rs 45 lakh. People who understand the game and understand the importance of the tournaments my team participates in have come forward to help us. It is the 1.5 billion Indians who drive us every day. They believe in us. And we want to win for the fans,” he said.
Bajaj believes that exposure in such tournaments is what separates Indian players from global footballers. Citing examples from Europe, he said, even the best players have walked similar paths.
“The biggest problem is that our system does not understand the importance of these cups. Lamine Yamal played the MIC Cup with FC Barcelona in 2021-22, just like Lionel Messi and Neymar,” Bajaj said. “If our players have to reach that level, they need to compete in these tournaments. Unless they play against the best, it won’t be possible.”
For Bajaj, the goal is not immediate results, but to create a path for Indian football.
“My dream is to produce at least one player who can play in the top division in Europe or Latin America. That will be the starting point. Then people will understand the gap,” he said, adding that the difference between Indian and foreign players is not visible in the early stages but emerges over time.
“Till the age of 15 or 16 there is no real difference. The gap comes in the next few years when foreign players get better exposure, diet and training. That is where we fall behind,” added Bajaj.
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The Indian dream
Many members of the Minerva team come from middle-class families. For them, the trip to Spain is not just a tournament: it is their first glimpse of football beyond India and a chance to prove themselves on the international stage.
Tony Huidrom, 14, a defensive midfielder from Manipur, is the captain of the team. For him, winning the MIC Cup could be easily achieved if the team continues its dominant performance on foreign soil.
“We just need to work as a unit and implement on the field the same things we have trained at Minerva,” he said. “These tournaments represent the entire Indian dream. For players who return home and believe they can leave India and play in Europe, this means a lot.”
Huidrom idolizes the teacher of German midfielder Toni Kroos. Kids have to balance rigorous daily practice for eight hours, a strict diet, and academics. He has instilled a strong sense of responsibility in the team.
Fifteen-year-old Daksh Panwar, the team’s goalkeeper, is feeling no pressure heading into the tournament. He is an unconditional fan of the German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
“As a goalkeeper, I will have to maintain my composure. The entire team depends on the last man. If we get nervous, we will not be able to perform at our best,” Panwar, a resident of Haridwar, Uttarakhand, told ThePrint. “Last time we performed well in Europe, but this tournament is bigger. The pressure is there, but it will only push us.”
For Chetan Tiwari, 13, from Phagwara, Punjab, the level of football in Europe and Asian countries is much higher than in India.
“Football is a culture in Spain. The stadiums, the fields and even the quality of the grass, everything is different here. My teammates and I dream of playing football in such infrastructure in the future,” he told ThePrint., And he adds that he plays as an attacking midfielder and idolizes Neymar.
For children, Bajaj is more than just a coach or manager: he is a “second father, a boss and a constant source of motivation.”
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back home
Back in Imphal, Huidrom’s father, Huidrom Sanajaoba Singh, said the journey had not been easy at all. With limited resources, the family has had to make sacrifices to keep Huidrom’s football dreams alive.
“It’s not just about financial sacrifices. We have adjusted our time and daily routine and prioritized his training above anything else. We have always supported his dreams and managed expenses according to his football needs,” Singh said. The impression.
At first, Singh was also worried about his son’s future when he saw Huidrom taking a keen interest in football.
“When I was nine years old, his dedication and discipline towards football made me realize that I had started to dream something big,” he said. “I worried about his studies, but I chose to support and trust his passion.”
Singh is a proud father, but that hasn’t stopped him from feeling anxious.
“It’s far from home. It’s not easy to let go of a child at such a young age. I was about to enter an unknown world, but pride gave us strength,” Singh said. “Before he left, I told him to focus on hard work, to never forget his values and that success always takes time.”
Like Singh, Oinam Sanayama Singh, father of Minerva’s 15-year-old right-back Oinam Sailex, supported his son’s dream since he was six years old.
“At a very young age, I realized that I understood the details of football. I not only played but also watched and analyzed matches. That’s when I knew I was destined for this,” Sanayama told ThePrint.
For Bajaj, these sacrifices define the path of a successful team.
“This is football. When you see their smiles, you realize what hard work can achieve,” Bajaj said. “These guys are proof of that. They’ve worked for this and they’ve earned it.”
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)
