Indian Super League side FC Goa on Tuesday announced that they have appointed former India international Derrick Pereira as their new head coach.
This comes two days after Juan Ferrando decided to break away from the club and take charge of ATK Mohun Bagan. Ferrando had invoked his release clause to split from FC Goa in the middle of the season and the club expressed surprise and accused ATK Mohun Bagan of poaching.
Pereira, who is currently with the club as its technical director, also took charge of Gaur along with Clifford Miranda and Roma Cunilera during the fag end of the 2019/20 season following the departure of Sergio Lobera.
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During his short time at the helm of Gaur, he led the side to the top of the ISL table at the end of the 2018/19 league stage, paving the way for FC Goa’s qualification to the group stages of the 2021 AFC Champions League.
The 59-year-old has vast experience of working with most of the players in the current FC Goa team. Many of them have played under him during his tenure at FC Goa, while many have come through the youth ranks under his guidance.
Talking about the work ahead, Perera said, “It is a great honor to be the head coach of a club that I have been a part of for all these years. It is a very proud day for both me and my family.
“It is a great opportunity, but we have a lot of work ahead of us and I look forward to getting on the training ground to start working with the players.
“I would like to thank the club management for this opportunity and thank the club’s supporters for the incredible welcome they have already given me. I am very excited to start our journey together.”
FC Goa’s Director of Football, Ravi Puskur said, “He has grown into the fabric of the club and is well-versed with our players and staff, most of whom have worked with him.
“He will seamlessly settle into the day-to-day functioning of the team and we are sure that he will continue to carry forward our brand of football.
“One Goa capturing FC Goa is the true representation of what we believe in and we are confident that he will make his mark on this team and continue to push the team towards its objectives.”
Pereira has been with the club since 2017, serving as an assistant coach in 2017/18 before taking on the role of technical director at the start of the 2017/19 season.
In this role, he led the youth development of FC Goa, in which three of their teams finished as champions. He was also in charge of the India Under-23 team in 2019.
He has previously managed Mahindra United, winning the National Football League in his first season. This established him as one of the premier coaches of the country as he managed Pune FC, Salgaonkar, DSK Shivaji and Churchill Brothers.
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