Picture Courtesy: Paro Football Club’s Facebook Page
Paro FC ended the 6 years of football dominance by Thimphu based football clubs as they became the new champions of the Bhutan Premier League 2019. With the title, Paro FC becomes the second team outside Thimphu to win the country’s top domestic league after Ugyen Academy FC in 2013.
With two matches in hand, Paro FC confirmed their title of the Bhutan Premier League 2019 during their clash against Drukstars FC at the Changlimethang National Stadium, last week. They defeated Drukstars FC 2 goals to nil.
Paro FC continued their winning streak as they won the second last match of the competition yesterday as well. In a closely contested match, Paro FC beat Druk United FC in a seven-goal thriller.
Formed in 2018, Paro FC came very close to winning the National League in the same year but they were held back by Thimphu City FC in the last match of the league for the title race. They finished in the second place last year.
“Just before two years I think Paro FC wasn’t there, even in the pictures of Bhutan football. And just in our debut season, we were very close to clinch our first title but unfortunately we had to settle for the first runners up. And in second season we were fully determined and I should say we were very lucky to have such supportive management,” said Jigme Tenzin, the Captain for Paro FC.
“Last year, I played for Transport United FC and we won the National League last year. And this year, I joined Paro FC with the hope to win the League and we managed to win the title. It was not all due to a single player, it was a team effort. We had very good management, an experienced coach and as a team, we did well,” added Kencho Tobgay, a Player with Paro FC.
“It has been only two years but I think we have put in a lot of effort. The management has done their job and the technical team has done their job and as well the players have done their job. I think we had a very good experience in the League this year though we could not win the championship last year. But this year we have clinched the title, two games ahead of the whole season,” said Puspalal Sharma, the Head Coach for Paro FC.
Being the champions of the Bhutan Premier League 2019, Paro FC will now represent Bhutan in the AFC Cup 2020 which will be played in February next year.
“Now that we are the champions of Bhutan, I think we have a huge task when we represent Bhutan in the AFC cup. We will go all out on our preparations and we want to start our preparations immediately after our last match. And then I am hopeful that our boys will give their best and we have strong management backing us. So I think in the AFC cup we will be able to deliver up to the expectation of our fans and our nation,” the head coach added.
Similarly, Transport United FC has confirmed the second place in the Bhutan Premier League 2019 after defeating Druk United FC last week.
Going by the latest point table, in the third-place, it is Thimphu City FC followed by Ugyen Academy FC and Druk United FC in 4th and 5th spot respectively.
The 5 bottom teams from the Bhutan Premier League 2019 will be relegated to Bhutan Super League, the second division league in the country which will be played next year.
Meanwhile, Paro FC will play their last match of the competition on 23rd November against Thimphu City FC. During that time, the team will be presented with the Bhutan Premier League trophy and cash prizes.
Passang Dorji
