30 Jan 2013 | 12:00am IST
Van den Brink to join Churchill Bros
Dutch defender Bas van den Brink has been released by Perth Glory, with the 30-year-old set to join Indian club Churchill Brothers.
Dutch defender Bas van den Brink is set to join I-League club Churchill Brothers, having agreed a release from Perth Glory
GOAL.COM
MUMBAI: Dutch defender Bas van den Brink has been released by Perth Glory, with the 30-year-old set to join Indian club Churchill Brothers.
Van den Brink and Glory agreed to terminate the final three months of the defender's contract on Monday, with the club admitting they could not guarantee the Dutchman a spot on the roster next season.
Keen to secure his family's future, Van den Brink went looking for other options and - after hearing about Churchill Brothers' interest - the central defender did not hesitate.
If he signs, he will be a direct replacement for Lebanon international defender Bilal Najjarin, who has joined United Arab Emirates Club Fujairah SC.
Churchill Brothers' interest was confirmed by coach Mariano Dias: "The talks are moving in the right direction. We should know by tomorrow or day after tomorrow," he told Goal.com.
Churchill Bros CEO Macario Rodrigues confirmed that all formalities had been finalized and that the player is expected to be in Goa soon.
"We have sent the offer letter to the player. It is not confirmed as yet."
Former Professional Footballers Australia chief Brendan Schwab was key in putting the player and the I-League club in contact, Goal.com understands.
"You have to make decisions that are good for yourself," Van den Brink told Sportal.
"I left because I didn't know whether my contract would have been extended or not and the club didn't really have a clear standpoint on whether they wanted to keep me.
"Based on that, it made the decision a lot easier for me to leave."
Van den Brink has yet to sign on the dotted line with Churchill Brothers and has not set a date yet to leave Australia, but says the deal is just about done.
"We're more or less agreed on terms but obviously we still have to do a medical and stuff like that... so that's where it stands right now," the Dutchman said.
"Get things sorted in Australia and we're off."
Van den Brink played 42 games with Glory, having moved to Perth after 50 matches with now-defunct Gold Coast United.
But after almost four seasons in the A-League, Van den Brink seems excited about the opportunity to live and play in another country.
Churchill Brothers lead India's I-League and have qualified for the 2013 AFC Cup, Asia's second-tier continental club competition.
"They're top of the table right now," Van den Brink said.
"Playing [AFC] Cup...so from that point of view it's a really, really nice opportunity to get some experience and see what else is happening out there in Asia."
