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In the past few ISL seasons, Kerala Blasters have been one of the few teams which managed to tick all the right boxes. However, the 2017-18 edition is proving to be a roller coaster ride for the ‘Yellow Brigade’ not only on the pitch but also off it.
A series of poor results at the start of the campaign led to the sacking of Rene Meulensteen. The former Manchester United assistant coach then accused captain Sandesh Jhingan of unprofessional behaviour and also held Jhingan responsible for his departure. Then, the Kerala defender refuted all the claims in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.
Just when the Blasters were getting their campaign back on track and off-field controversies seemed to die down, a former member of Kerala Blasters’ support staff, who doesn't want to be named, has reignited the issue. He has informed Sportskeeda that not only Jhingan but a few other players from the team were found in an inebriated state before away game against FC Goa on December 9, 2017.
“Sandesh and his roommate were found boisterous in the early hours of the night before FC Goa game. The management informed the coaching staff after the game that they were aware of Sandesh and other Indian players drinking the night before the game inside the hotel rooms. Siam Hangal, Milan Singh and Jackichand Singh were the other players who were accompanying Jhingan," he said.
He went on to say that Jhingan was again found in an inebriated state before the Bengaluru FC game on January 31, 2017.
“Sandesh was again found smelling of alcohol before the BFC game and on January 2 in training when medical staff decided to start urine testing players. The management had already put a curfew in place on players after the Goa game," he added.
The Kerala Blasters management have a lot of thinking to do in the upcoming days to address this issue. It must also be noted that no one can be held guilty unless there's proper proof regarding the alleged incidents.
Milan Singh has since denied this report through a message on his Facebook profile.
However, we at Sportskeeda have full confidence in the authenticity of our source, and we stand by this news.
