Chinglensana Singh.
Credit: DH FILE PHOTO
Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC on Tuesday revealed that the club has signed 28-year-old centre-back Chinglensana 'Sana' Singh Konsham on a five and a half year deal till 2029.
Sana, who last turned out for Hyderabad FC, is a seasoned defender who has made 94 appearances in the Indian Super League and earned 11 caps for the Indian National football team.
Bengaluru FC were in need of an experienced Indian centre-back after failing to replace Sandesh Jhingan over the summer, and Sana fits the bill perfectly.
With Hyderabad FC in dire straits over the non-payment of player salaries, the AIFF player status committee met on Monday to decide if Hyderabad FC players are allowed to sign for other clubs. Sana terminated his contract with The Nizams to force the move.
"If a player does not get his salary on time, they report it to us (AIFF), and we refer it to the player status committee. If the player status committee finds some errors in the dealings, they further refer it to the disciplinary committee," an AIFF official told DH.
"The disciplinary committee gave the green light in the form of NOCs to former HFC players, enabling them to sign for other clubs as free agents," the official revealed.
Bengaluru FC and other clubs had been in talks with Sana’s representatives since the summer window, but the Blues won the race.
Three other Hyderabad FC players -- Nikhil Poojary, Hitesh Sharma amd Nim Dorjee Tamang-- have also reportedly obtained NOCs in a bid to force moves away before the Wednesday midnight deadline.