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{{Fs player|nat=India|pos=FW|name=[[Givson Singh]]|other=|no=27}}
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Revision as of 11:33, 5 October 2020

Kerala Blasters FC
Full nameKerala Blasters Football Club
Nickname(s)Manjappada (Yellow Army)
The Tuskers[1]
Short nameKBFC, KER
Founded24 May 2014; 11 years ago (2014-05-24)[2]
GroundJawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, Kerala
Capacity80,000 (Limited To 39,000 By FIFA)
OwnersBlasters Sports Ventures Private Limited
CEOVacant
Head coachKibu Vicuña
LeagueIndian Super League
Websitehttps://keralablastersfc.in/
Current season

Kerala Blasters Football Club (/kɛrələ blɑːstəz/ ⓘ) is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala that competes in the Indian Super League.[3] The club was established on 24 May 2014 and began their first professional season a few months later in October 2014.

The club has traditionally worn its yellow home kit since its inception and is one of the most widely supported clubs in Asia.[4][5][6] They play their home matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. The Blasters holds the record for the highest league attendance every season, regularly averaging over 40,000 fans per game.[7][8]

The Blasters played their inaugural match on 13 October 2014, losing 1–0 to NorthEast United. They made it to the 2014 Indian Super League Final in its inaugural season, where they lost 1–0 to ATK after an injury time goal from Mohammed Rafique. They did not qualify for the finals in the next season, but reached the final again in 2016. The club again suffered a defeat against ATK, this time through penalties 4–3.[9]

History

Formation

In early 2014 the All India Football Federation, the governing body of association football in India, and IMG–Reliance announced that they would accept bids for the ownership of eight of the selected cities for the inaugural season of Indian Super League (ISL).[10] On 13 April 2014, it was announced that the rights to the Kochi franchise had been won by former India national cricket team captain and legend Sachin Tendulkar and entrepreneur Prasad V Potluri.[11] On 27 May 2014, the club's official name, Kerala Blasters FC, was unveiled,[12] which was based on the nickname of co-owner Sachin Tendulkar who was known as Master Blaster during his playing days.[13]

Preparations for the first season started on 22 July when the Kerala Blasters took part in the first domestic draft to select fourteen Indian players.[14] India international Mehtab Hossain was the first draft pick made by Kerala Blasters.[15] Besides Hossain, the team management selected Avinabo Bag, Sandip Nandy, Chinadorai Sabeeth, Luis Barreto, Milagres Gonsalves, Ramandeep Singh, Renedy Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Ishfaq Ahmed, Gurwinder Singh, Nirmal Chettri, Sushanth Mathew, and Godwin Franco for the team.[16]

David James in England jersey
David James is the first manager and marquee player of the club

On 13 August 2014 former England international goalkeeper David James was chosen as the first head coach and marquee player of the team.[17] On 21 August 2014, the team participated in the international draft where the management selected seven foreign players.[18] Former Newcastle United forward Michael Chopra was the first foreign player drafted by the Kerala Blasters.[19]

Inaugural season

Main article: 2014 Kerala Blasters FC season

Kerala Blasters played their first ever match on 13 October 2014 against NorthEast United at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium and lost the match 1–0 after Koke scored the only goal of the match in the 45th minute.[21] The club's first ever goal was scored by Iain Hume during their second match against Chennaiyin on 21 October. Despite the Canadian's goal, the club could not prevent another defeat as they lost 2–1 against Chennaiyin.[22] It took the Blasters till their fourth game to get their first victory after beating Pune City. Goals from Chinadorai Sabeeth and Penn Orji led the Blasters to a come from behind 2–1 victory.[23]

After having to play their first five matches away from home, Kerala Blasters hosted their first home match on 6 November 2014 against Goa. A goal by Milagres Gonsalves led to a 1–0 victory in front of 49,517 fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.[24] The Blasters managed to book their spot into the playofffs on 9 December 2014. A 1–0 victory over Pune City ensured the qualification of the Blasters into the playoffs.[25]

Kerala Blasters played their first semi-finals match on 13 December 2014 against southern rivals, Chennaiyin. Despite not being considered the favorite to win the two-legged tie, they won the first leg at home 3–0 with the help of goals from Ishfaq Ahmed, Iain Hume, and Sushanth Mathew.[26] During the second leg in Chennai, the Blasters were about to suffer a massive setback. Despite entering the second leg with a three-goal advantage, Chennaiyin managed to draw the tie level by winning in regular time 3–0. However, in extra-time, the Blasters managed to score the decisive goal in the 117th minute from Stephen Pearson to win the tie 4–3 and thus entered the final.[27]

In the final, they took on Atlético de Kolkata at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. Atlético de Kolkata won the match 1–0 after Mohammed Rafique scored in the 95th minute .[28]

2015 season

Main article: 2015 Kerala Blasters FC season

After the 2014 season, it was announced that David James would not return to the club as the head coach and marquee player. On 12 May 2015 it was announced that former England U20 head coach Peter Taylor would take over as the Blasters head coach.[29] New foreign signings for the season included Peter Ramage, Stephen Bywater, Bruno Perone, Sanchez Watt, João Coimbra, and marquee signing Carlos Marchena.[30]

The first match of the season was played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, with Kerala Blasters hosting NorthEast United. The Blasters won 3–1 through the goals from Josu, Mohammed Rafi, and Sanchez Watt.[31] However, the Blasters followed that victory drawing their next match against Mumbai City and then losing their next four matches which eventually led to the dismissal of Peter Taylor as head coach.[32] Assistant coach Trevor Morgan was in charge for one match before Terry Phelan was named head coach for the rest of the season.[33] Fortunes failed to change for the Blasters as the club ended their second season in the last place, failing to qualify for the Indian Super League semi finals[34]

2016 season

Main article: 2016 Kerala Blasters FC season
Steve Cappell celebrating
Steve Coppell led the Blasters into the 2016 ISL finals.

In an effort to rebuild the team after failing to qualify for the semi finals in the previous season, the Blasters announced the signing of former Crystal Palace manager Steve Coppell as their head coach on 21 June 2016.[35] A week later, the club announced the signing of Northern Ireland international Aaron Hughes as their marquee player for the season.[36] Other signings made for the season included Graham Stack, Kervens Belfort, Duckens Nazon, and Mohammed Rafique. Former players Michael Chopra and Cédric Hengbart also returned to the club.[37]

The season began where the previous left off, with a 1–0 defeat away from home against NorthEast United.[38] Though they struggled early in the season, the Blasters had one of the best defenses statistically in the league after the first month of the season but struggled to score goals.[39] In the second half of the season, after the return of C.K. Vineeth from loan with Bengaluru FC, the Blasters found the solution to their problem in scoring goals and surge their way into the playoffs.[40]

After finishing in second during the regular season, the Blasters took on third placed Delhi Dynamos in the first leg of the semi finals.[42] The first leg took place on 11 December in Kochi. The Blasters won the match 1–0 through Kervens Belfort's 65th-minute goal.[43] During the second leg in Delhi, the Dynamos won in extra time 2–1 which meant that the tie went to penalties. The Blasters won the penalty shootout 3–0 to find their way into the final.[44]

In the final, the Blasters would play host to Atlético de Kolkata. The Blasters took the lead early through Mohammed Rafi before Kolkata equalized soon after. The match went into a penalty shootout. Despite taking the lead early in the shootout, the Blasters lost 4–3 and thus were defeated in their second final in three seasons.[45]

2017–18 season

Main article: 2017–18 Kerala Blasters FC season

After losing in the previous season finals, the club appointed former Manchester United manager René Meulensteen as their new manager as Steve Coppel rejected a new contract extension.[46] Blasters released all their foreign players and signed some new players including former Manchester United players Dimitar Berbatov, Wes Brown and Paul Rachubka.[47][48] Jhingan was appointed as the captain and they brought back their leading goalscorer from the first season, Iain Hume.[49] But they had only one victory in their first 8 games in the season, leading to the sacking of René Meulensteen.[50] They brought back their fan favorite manager David James as the caretaker.[51] The Blasters managed 5 wins in the remaining 10 fixtures and finished 6th in the 2017-18 Indian Super League season. They had little success in the Super Cup as they were eliminated in the first round.[52]

2018–19 season

Main article: 2018-19 Kerala Blasters FC season

After failing to qualify for the playoffs last season, Blasters made a 3-year deal with manager David James. With a new roster, Kerala Blasters looked to bounce back. But they had their worst season ever. They won only 1 and drawn 6 in their 12 fixtures leading to the sacking of David James.[53] After the international break midway through the season, Blasters appointed Nelo Vingada as their new manager for the remaining 6 fixtures.[54] But the team again managed only 1 win and drawn 3 in the remaining 6 fixtures and finished 9th in the league.[55] The Super Cup was also a disaster for the club as they were knocked out in the Qualification Round of the tournament.[56]

2019–20 season

Main article: 2019–20 Kerala Blasters FC season

After a disappointing previous season, the Blasters were looking for making a serious come back as they appointed Dutch man Eelco Schattorie as their new manager.[57] They also released all the foreign players and signed a new roster of foreign players and Indians including Cameroon born Raphaël Messi Bouli and former Nigeria international Bartholomew Ogbeche as foreign forwards.[58] Blasters beat their arch rivals ATK on the inaugural day of the season. Throughout the season, the team was hit by injury concerns. Sandesh Jhingan who captained the club for the last 2 seasons and was the mainstay at the defence was out of action due to an ACL injury along with newly signed Brazilian defender Jairo Rodrigues.[59] Both the defenders missed the entire season, where Jairo played a few matches in the start.[60] Gianni Zuiverloon, Mario Arqués and some other Indian players were also hit by minor injuries in the season resulting in them missing some of the crucial fixtures.[61] Thus they finished the season at 7th place in the table.[62]

Stadium

Main article: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi)

Kerala Blasters play their home matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi) in Ernakulam.[63] The stadium is multipurpose, having been mainly used for football. The stadium has hosted matches for both the India football team and India cricket team. In the past, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium used to be the host of National Football League and I-League clubs such as F.C. Kochin and Chirag United Club Kerala.[64][65] The stadium was also a venue used in the Indian Premier League for the Kochi Tuskers Kerala and was a venue for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[66]

A panorama of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during an ISL match day

Support

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kerala during an ISL match.
A view of Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium before the 2016 ISL Final

The Manjappada Kerala Blasters Fans (Yellow Army) are the largest and one of the most active fan group for the Kerala Blasters and the Indian Super League overall.[67] They were founded in 2014 with the purpose of bringing all the fans of the Kerala Blasters under one umbrella.[68] Before every match, they reach the stadium early to set up tifos, banners, and balloons.[68] Manjappada won the Indian Sports Honours's "Fan Club of the Year" award twice in 2017 and 2020.[69][70] [71] They were also awarded by 2019 Asian Cup Organising Committee for their support at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Qatar for the India national football team .[72]

Overall, the Kerala Blasters are known in the ISL for their fanatical supporters. Averaging over 55,000 fans a game, the Blasters had highest average attendance in most of the seasons they have played.[7] "In Kerala, the people support football tirelessly. It doesn't matter if the team wins or loses, they are always there in high numbers. I've played at places like Kolkata, where if the team loses two-three matches on the spin, the numbers in the stadium diminish. There is nothing like that in Kerala," said former India international Pappachen Pradeep on the football fans in Kerala.[73]

Rivalries

The Kerala Blasters have developed a rivalry with fellow southern team, Chennaiyin. Former Chennaiyin head coach Marco Materazzi was sent off when both clubs faced each other during the 2014 finals.[74] The former Italy international was then given a one-match suspension in 2016 when he was involved in a scuffle between a Chennaiyin and a Kerala Blasters player.[75] This incident led to the return leg in Kochi featuring Kerala Blasters fans wearing masks of Zinedine Zidane and thus intensified the overall rivalry between the clubs.[74] The meetings between these two are known as the Southern Derby.[76]

Kerala have a long, heated century-long rivalry with Bengal starting from Santhosh Trophy. Blasters and ATK rivalry started from season 1 finals, where ATK triumphed victorious in add-on time. Both clubs again met in the season 3 finals and again Blasters had gone down fighting in penalties.[77]

The Blasters also have developed a rivalry with Bengaluru which started in 2017 before the Karnataka based club began play in the Indian Super League.[78] The rivalry stems from the competition between both club's fan bases, the Manjappada of Kerala Blasters and West Block Blues of Bengaluru.[79]

Ownership

The ownership group of the Kerala Blasters lies with its parent company called Blasters Sports Ventures Private Limited (BSVPL).[80] Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was one of the co-owners.[80] Tendulkar had stated that his reasons for taking up a stake in the club were to see football rise in popularity in India and to see Kerala return to its former glory as a footballing state in the country.[81] "People used to call me Master Blaster. I'm supporting Kerala, Kochi team. I hope the entire Kerala will be behind our football team. That's why we thought of naming it as Kerala Blasters FC", said Tendulkar in May 2014.[81]

In September 2018, Tendulkar decided to sell his Kerala Blasters stake in BSVPL due to personal prospects. Sachin stated that, "A piece of my heart will always beat for Kerala Blasters", after selling his stakes.[82]

Currently, other investors in the BSVPL includes film stars Chiranjeevi and Akkineni Nagarjuna, as well as film producer Allu Aravind and industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad.[80] Before they all became co-owners, co-ownership of the club was held by Prasad V. Potluri from 2014 to 2015.[81]

The BSVPL also owns the Pro Kabaddi League team Tamil Thalaivas.[83]

In 2020 the company entered in a partnership with Serbian volleyball club Radnicki Belgrade to form Radnicki Blasters, which plays in the Serbian First Division tournaments.[84][85]

Crest and colours

The crest and colours for Kerala Blasters were unveiled during the club's official launch function on 15 September 2014.[86]

Crest

The crest of the club is designed around the elephant, one of Kerala's main symbols, to reflect its place in Kerala's culture and festivities and represents the sporting legacy of Kerala.[87] The football held by the elephant with its trunk, showcases the state’s deep connection with the sport. The elephant is a symbol of unity, power and pride elements. It also symbolizes the heritage, culture, spirit and passion of Kerala and its love for football.[86]

Colours

The club colours are yellow and blue since the beginning. According to former team owner Sachin Tendulkar, the idea behind the yellow jersey is that yellow stands for determination and faith.[88]

The yellow shirts and blue shorts were the first jersey worn by the club during their 2014 inaugural season. This jersey was used until the 2016 season. For the 2017-18 season, the Blasters introduced an all yellow jersey with a different yellow shade.[89] Yellow was the primary colour while blue remains the secondary colour which flows across the side of the jersey.[90] This was used for the 2018-19 season also. In 2019, the traditional yellow and blue jersey was returned but the shades remained as same from the last season.

Kit evolution

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kerala Blasters FC Kits.
Early Years
2017–2019
2019–2020

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Kit manufacturers

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt Prime Sponsor
2014–2016 Puma Muthoot Group
2016–2017 Bay Creations
2017–2018 Admiral
2018–2019 SIX5SIX
2019—present Reyaur Sports

Kit Evolution

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kerala Blasters FC Kits.
Early years
2017-2019
2019-2020

Sponsorship

On 29 September 2014, it was announced that Muthoot Pappachan Group, a Kerala based business group, would be the title sponsor for the Kerala Blasters.[91] The original agreement with Muthoot Pappachan Group saw the company sponsor the Blasters for one season but with the option to extend the partnership further.[91] A month later, on 24 October, the Blasters officially announced that the German sports manufacturer Puma would be the kit sponsors for the 2014 season.[92] Both sponsorships continued in 2015. Muthoot remained as title sponsor going into the 2016 season.[93] In June 2019, the Blasters signed a five year deal with Jain University to be the presenting sponsor of the club.[94] In September 2020, the club signed a long-term deal with Statsports as their performance partner.[95]

Players

For a list of all former and current Kerala Blasters players, see List of Kerala Blasters FC players.

Current squad

As of 4 October 2020

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK India IND Bilal Khan
43 GK India IND Albino Gomes
47 GK India IND Prabhsukhan Singh Gill
22 DF India IND Nishu Kumar
14 DF India IND Jessel Carneiro
5 DF India IND Sandeep Singh
39 DF India IND Lalruatthara
24 DF India IND Abdul Hakku
25 DF India IND Kenstar Kharshong
19 DF India IND Denechandra Meitei
23 MF India IND Ritwik Das
55 MF India IND Jeakson Singh
13 MF India IND Rohit Kumar
No. Pos. Nation Player
4 MF Spain ESP Vicente Gómez
8 MF India IND Seityasen Singh
15 MF India IND Arjun Jayaraj
11 MF India IND Prasanth K
32 MF India IND Puitea
16 MF India IND Nongdamba Naorem
18 MF India IND Sahal Abdul Samad
20 MF Spain ESP Sergio Cidoncha
7 MF Argentina ARG Facundo Pereyra
37 FW India IND Shaiborlang Kharpan
17 FW India IND Rahul Kannoly Praveen
27 FW India IND Givson Singh
10 FW England ENG gary Hooper

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
26 FW India IND Manvir Singh (to India Sudeva FC till 31 July 2021)

Retired number(s)

See also: Retired numbers in association football
Number Player Position Kerala Blasters Debut Last Match Ref
21 India Sandesh Jhingan Centre back 21 October 2014 vs Chennaiyin 1 March 2019 vs Northeast United [96]

Notable foreign internationals

See: List of Kerala Blasters FC's Notable Foreign Internationals

Current technical staff

As of 25 April 2020
Role Name
Head Coach/Manager Spain Kibu Vicuña[97]
Assistant Coach Poland Tomasz Tchórz[98]
Assistant Coach India Ishfaq Ahmed[99]
Sporting Director Lithuania Karolis Skinkys[100]
Physical Trainer Lithuania Paulius Ragauskas[98]
Goalkeeping Coach Poland Bartosz Grosak[101]
Tactical & Analytical Coach Spain David Ochoa[98]
Goalkeeping Academy Coach & Goalkeeping Consultant England John Burridge[102]
Technical Director (Youth) Romania Mario Marinică[103]
Reserves & U18 Coach India Renjith TA
U15 Coach Vacant
U13 Coach Vacant
Scouting Head India Ishfaq Ahmed[104]

Statistics and records

Main article: List of Kerala Blasters FC records and statistics
Further information: Kerala Blasters FC results by opponent

Season-by-season

For a season by season statistical breakdown, see List of Kerala Blasters FC Seasons.
As of 23 February 2020
Season League Finals Super Cup Top Scorer
P W D L GF GA Pts Position Player Goals
2014 14 5 4 5 9 11 19 4th Runners-up Did not exist Canada Iain Hume 5
2015 14 3 4 7 22 27 13 8th DNQ Grenada Antonio German,
England Chris Dagnall 		6
2016 14 6 4 4 12 14 22 2nd Runners-up India C.K. Vineeth 5
2017–18 18 6 7 5 20 22 25 6th DNQ Round of 16 Canada Iain Hume 5
2018–19 18 2 9 7 18 28 15 9th DNQ Qualification Round Serbia Slaviša Stojanović, Slovenia Matej Poplatnik 4
2019–20 18 4 7 7 29 32 19 7th DNQ Tournament Suspended Nigeria Bartholomew Ogbeche 15

Managerial history

See also: List of Kerala Blasters FC managers
Name Nationality Period Note
David James  England 2014–2015,
2017–2018 		Player-manager (2014–2015)
Peter Taylor  England 2015
Trevor Morgan  England 2015 Caretaker
Terry Phelan  Ireland 2015–2016
Steve Coppell  England 2016–2017
René Meulensteen  Netherlands 2017
Nelo Vingada  Portugal 2019
Eelco Schattorie  Netherlands 2019–2020
Kibu Vicuña  Spain 2020– Current manager

Team records

As of 20 February 2020

Honours

Nationals

2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (2): 2014, 2016
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up: 2017–18

Regional

1st place, gold medalist(s) Winners: 2019–20

Kerala Blasters Reserves and Academy

Main article: Kerala Blasters FC Reserves and Academy

Kerala Blasters Reserves

On 20 February 2018, it was announced by the All India Football Federation, the organizing body for Indian football, that the Kerala Blasters, along with six other Indian Super League sides, would field a reserve team in the I-League 2nd Division, India's second division football league.[107] The team began play in March 2018 and is currently coached by Renjith TA.[108] The team also participates in the Kerala Premier League, a state football tournament organized by Kerala Football Association. The young talents from the Under-18 team playing in the Elite League are also promoted into the reserve team based on their performance.

Kerala Blasters Youth and Academy

The Kerala Blasters youth system known as KBFC Young Blasters currently consists of three teams from three different age groups, the Under-18, Under-15 and Under-13.[109] The U-18 team participates in the Elite League which is the top level of youth football in India.[109] The U-15 and U-13 team participates in the Hero Juniors League and Hero Sub-Juniors League respectively. The U-15 side also participates in the Kerala U-15 Academy League.

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