I-League club Minerva Punjab owner Ranjit Bajaj issues challenge to ISL clubs

What's the story?

I-League club Minerva Punjab FC's owner and assistant manager Ranjit Bajaj has issued a challenge to ISL teams on Twitter.

Here is the tweet:

How about having a match with any ISL clubs with my team @Minerva_AFC and then judging the quality of my Foregners or that matter @eastbengalfc @EBRPFC ..... trust me .... I wouldn’t play some of the Foregners in the ISL in my second team ? https://t.co/UFckDsqNz5

— Ranjit Bajaj (@THE_RanjitBajaj) January 8, 2018

In case you didn't know...

Ranjit Bajaj is the owner of the Minerva Punjab FC club. His family owns the Minerva Academy, a training institute for armed forces aspirants. Bajaj has represented Chandigarh in the Santosh Trophy as the goalkeeper.

The heart of the matter

Bajaj is a popular figure on Twitter amongst Indian football fans and is highly active on the social media platform. He has had his fair share of run-ins with Indian football authorities owing to his outspoken nature on and off the field.

Earlier this year, Bajaj was handed a stadium ban of eight matches along with a fine of Rs 7 lakh by the AIFF Disciplinary Committee for allegedly using abusive language at a referee. Recently, he was in the news after allegedly assaulting a youth league official.

However, this time the Minerva Punjab FC owner has called out ISL teams, challenging them to take on his side. After some fans questioned the quality of foreign players in the Hero I-League and claimed that the Hero ISL had higher quality foreigners, Bajaj responded with a tweet in which he sent out the challenge.

In the tweet, the owner of the I-League club went on to claim that some of the foreigners in the ISL teams would not make the cut for even the Minerva Punjab second (reserve) team.

What's next?

Minerva Punjab is having a great season in the Hero I-League and sit on the second spot on the table, just two points behind East Bengal and has two matches in hand. They face Mohun Bagan tomorrow in an away match in Kolkata.

Author's take

Bajaj is a very outspoken man and has faced troubles from the AIFF for his comments and actions. The Indian fans on Twitter have become fans of Bajaj due to his frank and brazen comments. Minerva Punjab have perhaps one of the best academies in the country and their results at the youth level are an indication of their growth and Bajaj's commitment to the game.