Having already won the bid to float a team in this year’s Indian Super League (ISL), the Tata Steel franchise have embarked upon their team building task. Tata Football Academy’s chief Mukul Chowdhury, who was once a top official at Mumbai FC along with TFA’s technical director Indranil Chakrabarty, has been assigned the task of building their squad. They have roped in former Kerala Blasters player-cum-assistant manager Ishfaq Ahmed as their assistant manager. In that case, Ishfaq becomes their first contractual signing.
Although nothing has been officially confirmed by the Tata group, the Jamshedpur team have made an astute choice to sign someone with vast experience of the Indian football scene. Ishfaq had been a Kerala Blasters loyalist since the inception of the ISL. This move marks the departure of one of the old warhorses of the Blasters contingent.
Kerala Blasters sign Shillong Lajong coach Thongboi Singto
In a move to strengthen their squad after the departure of Ishfaq Ahmed, Kerala Blasters have acquired the services of Shillong Lajong coach, Thongboi Singto. Singto has been appointed as the technical director and the assistant coach of the youth development side. The two-time runners-up Kerala Blasters have made a crucial signing before the beginning of the draft selection for the ISL teams.
It is pertinent to note here Singto was on his way to Aizawl FC after Khalid Jameel left the I-League champions for Calcutta side East Bengal. However, Blasters’ management wasted no time and made the first move to recruit Singto as their assistant coach.
The former Lajong coach is known for building a strong Lajong side over the last few years. Last season, Shillong striker Dipanda Dicka was the top scorer in the I-League with 11 goals to his name.
Singto was awarded the lucrative ISL contract as a result of his performances in the I-League with the Shillong side. It is heartening to see the manager get rewarded with a contract in the cash-rich tournament as a mark of acknowledgment for his contribution in the I-League.
With this move, however, the exodus of the I-League staff to ISL has started. Already, a number of players have gone on record to hail the structurally stable ISL and are opting to play for them instead of representing the I-League clubs. But so far, this is the first instance of an I-League coach making inroads in the foreign managers dominated ISL.
