Kochi: Kerala Blasters for the Super League was announced last week. But there was ambiguity in the case of the coach. The head coach Ivan Vukomanovic was banned for 10 matches by the AIFF. After that, Blasters had to choose a new coach. Frank Dowen will be the coach of Kerala Blasters in the Super Cup.
Vukomanovic, who left the field with the players during the play-off match against Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League, will not be with the team in the Super Cup. After that, Doven, who was Vukomanovic’s co-coach, was made the coach. Doven joined the club from Belgium last year. He has been in charge of various clubs in Belgium and Saudi Arabia.
He has played five matches for the Belgium team. The 52-year-old also played for the Kent club for a long time. Having started his career as a coach since 2008, his experience will be an asset to the team in the Super Cup. He is also very popular with Kerala Blasters players.
Vukomanovic will not be able to coach in the Super Cup and the upcoming Durand Cup. If the Blasters finish in both these tournaments, he can join the team in the upcoming ISL season.
The club and the coach were ready to apologize after the ban. “We are sorry for what happened in the knockout match. Leaving the field without finishing the match was unfortunate and immature. Those actions were in the heat of competition. Football lovers are assured that such incidents will not happen again,” explained the Kerala Blasters team through its official Twitter handle.
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Last Updated Apr 5, 2023, 5:37 PM IST
