THE GOAN | Network
PANAJI
Head coach Zico has parted ways with FC Goa after finishing at the bottom of the Indian Super League table in the last edition of the tournament.
The Brazilian legend had guided FC Goa to a runners-up position in the 2015 season where they were beaten by Chennaiyin FC in a controversial match. Zico announced that he was leaving the club through his official Facebook account. The post which is in Portuguese announces the "closure" of the contract and Zico thanked everyone associated with the club for the work done over three years.
"I wanted to officially announce the closure of my contract with FC Goa. I want to thank FC Goa for the confidence placed in my work in those three seasons that I helmed the team. Regardless of the results, there were periods where we delivered, with a determination to do the best," the post read.
"Thank you from my heart. I have great affection and respect for all in Goa, not just fans but also the players and the coaching staff which I had the opportunity to work. I take this opportunity to wish FC Goa success in this journey of development of the Indian football," the loosely translated version read.
The Goan club also released a statement on the development. "FC Goa and its head coach for the past three seasons, Mr Arthur Antunes Coimbra (Zico) have mutually decided against exercising the option of extending the contract. Keeping the logistical challenges of the upcoming season in mind, the two parties amicably came to this decision," the statement said.
FC Goa said it is in the process of hiring a Technical Director and they will focus on developing Indian talent to form the core of their team. "In its immediate next steps, the club is in the process of appointing a Technical Director who has the relevant coaching experience and scouting knowledge within the Indian footballing ecosystem. FC Goa strongly feels that this would be an important step in laying the foundations for the long term, and help achieve sustainable growth of the club and Indian players. Over the time, the club is keen to ensure that the dependency on foreign players is limited and this in turn will give the Indian players the platform to make the biggest impact," the statement added.
In the first edition of the league, the 63-year-old Zico guided the team to a second-place finish in the group stage but Goa were ousted in the semi-finals on penalties by eventual champions Atletico de Kolkata. The second season saw them amass a record 25 points and score a record 29 goals but they fell short in the final, when they conceded two late goals as Chennai overturned a 2-1 deficit to win the coveted trophy.
