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Kerala Blasters FC

Full name	Kerala Blasters Football Club
Nickname(s)	Manjappada (Yellow Army) The Tuskers
Short name	KBFC, KER
Founded	24 May 2014; 10 years ago (2014-05-24)
Ground	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, Kerala
Capacity	80,000 (Limited To 39,000 by FIFA from 2017)
Owners	Blasters Sports Ventures Pvt Ltd
Chairman	Nikhil Bhardwaj
Head coach	Kibu Vicuña
League	Indian Super League
Website	https://keralablastersfc.in/
Home colours Away colours Third colours
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, the top tier of Indian football. The club was established on 24 May 2014 and began its first professional season in October the same year.

Since its inception, the club has worn a yellow home kit. It is one of the most widely supported clubs in Asia. The club plays home games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. Each season since the club's founding, Kerala Blasters have held the record for the highest league attendance, regularly attracting audiences of over 40,000 per game.

The Blasters played their inaugural match on 13 October 2014, losing 1–0 to NorthEast United. They reached the 2014 Indian Super League Final, where they lost 1–0 to ATK after an injury time goal from Mohammed Rafique. They did not qualify for the final the next season but did so in 2016, when they were again defeated 4–3 by ATK, this time through penalties.

History

Formation

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

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. India international Mehtab Hossain was the first choice made by the club. The team management also 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.

On 13 August 2014, former England international goalkeeper David James was chosen as the first head coach and marquee player of the team. On 21 August 2014, the club participated in the international draft; the management selected seven foreign players for the team. Former Newcastle United forward Michael Chopra was the first foreign player to be drafted to the Kerala Blasters.

Inaugural season

Kerala Blasters played their first game on 13 October 2014 against NorthEast United at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium; they lost the game 1–0 after Koke scored in the 45th minute. On 21 October, the club's first-ever goal was scored by Iain Hume during their second match, which was against Chennaiyin. Despite Hume's goal, the Blasters lost the game 2–1. The Blasters' first win came in their fourth game, which was played against Pune City; Chinadorai Sabeeth and Penn Orji scored the club's goals, leading to a 2–1 victory.

After playing 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. The Blasters qualified for the playofffs on 9 December 2014 with a 1–0 victory over Pune City.

The side played their first semi-finals match on 13 December 2014 against Chennaiyin. Despite not being considered the favourite to win the two-legged tie, they won the first leg at home 3–0 with goals from Ishfaq Ahmed, Iain Hume, and Sushanth Mathew. 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 drew the tie level by winning in regular time 3–0. In extra time, however, the Blasters' Stephen Pearson scored the decisive goal in the 117th minute to win the tie 4–3 and thus enter the final.

In the final, Kerala Blasters played 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 .

2015 season

After the 2014 season, the club announced David James would not return to the club as the head coach and marquee player, and on 12 May 2015 that former England Under-20 head coach Peter Taylor would take over the role. New foreign signings for the season included Peter Ramage, Stephen Bywater, Bruno Perone, Sanchez Watt, João Coimbra, and marquee signing Carlos Marchena.

The first match of the season was played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium against NorthEast United. The Blasters won 3–1 with goals from Josu, Mohammed Rafi, and Sanchez Watt. The Blasters drew their next match against Mumbai City and then lost their next four matches, which led to the dismissal of Peter Taylor as head coach. Assistant coach Trevor Morgan was in charge for one match before Terry Phelan was named as the head coach for the rest of the season. The Blasters ended their second season in the last place, failing to qualify for the Indian Super League semi-finals

2016 season

In an effort to rebuild the team after failing to qualify for the semi finals the previous season, the Blasters announced the signing of former Crystal Palace manager Steve Coppell as their head coach on 21 June 2016. A week later, the club announced the signing of Northern Ireland international Aaron Hughes as their marquee player for the season. Other signings 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.

The season began with a 1–0 defeat away from home against NorthEast United. Though they struggled early in the season, the Blasters had statistically one of the best defences in the league after the first month of the season but struggled to score goals. In the second half of the season, after the return of C.K. Vineeth from loan with Bengaluru FC, the Blasters solved their goal-scoring problem and made their way into the playoffs.

After finishing in second place during the regular season, the Blasters played third-placed Delhi Dynamos in the first leg of the semi-finals, which took place on 11 December 2016 in Kochi. The Blasters won the match 1–0 through Kervens Belfort's 65th-minute goal. During the second leg in Delhi, the Dynamos won in extra time 2–1, which meant the tie went to penalties. The Blasters won the penalty shootout 3–0 to enter the final.

In the final, the Blasters played host to Atlético de Kolkata and 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; it was their second finals defeat in three seasons.

2017–18 season

After losing in the previous season's finals, Steve Coppel rejected a new contract extension so the club appointed former Manchester United manager René Meulensteen as their new manager. Blasters released all of their foreign players and signed some more, including former Manchester United players Dimitar Berbatov, Wes Brown and Paul Rachubka. Sandesh Jhingan was appointed as the captain and the club re-signed their leading goalscorer from the first season Iain Hume. The Blasters won only one of their first eight games that season, leading to the sacking of Meulensteen. Fan-favourite manager David James returned to the squad as caretaker. The Blasters won five of the remaining ten fixtures and finished sixth in the 2017-18 Indian Super League season. The Blasters were eliminated in the first round of the Super Cup.

2018–19 season

Having failed to qualify for the previous season's playoffs, the Blasters signed a three-year deal with manager David James. With a new roster, Kerala Blasters had their worst season ever, won only one and drawn six of their twelve fixtures, leading to the sacking of James. After the international mid-season break, the Blasters appointed Nelo Vingada as their new manager for the remaining six fixtures. Of the remaining games, the team had only one win and three draws, and finished ninth in the league. The Blasters were eliminated from the Super Cup in the qualifying round of the tournament.

2019–20 season

After a disappointing previous season, the Blasters wanted to make a serious come back and appointed Eelco Schattorie as their new manager. The club released all of their foreign players and signed a new roster that included Cameroon-born Raphaël Messi Bouli and former Nigeria international Bartholomew Ogbeche as forwards. Blasters beat their arch-rivals ATK on the season's first day. Throughout the season, the team was hit by injury concerns. Defender Sandesh Jhingan, who captained the club for the last two seasons, was out of action with an ACL injury and newly signed Brazilian defender Jairo Rodrigues was also injured. Both defenders missed the entire season and Rodrigues played a few matches in the start. Gianni Zuiverloon and Mario Arqués and other players were also hit by minor injuries in the season; they missed some of the crucial fixtures. The Blasters finished the season in seventh place in the table.

2020–21 season

Having failed to reach the playoffs of the past three seasons, the management decided to start a new era at the club. As a part of this new strategy, the Blasters appointed Karolis Skinkys as their new sporting director on 15 March 2020. On 22 April 2020, the club officially announced the appointment of Kibu Vicuña as their new manager. Fan-favourite defender Sandesh Jhingan left the club on 21 May 2020 by mutual consent, ending his six-year association with the Blasters. The CEO Viren D'Silva also left the club the same day.

As a part of their new philosophy, the Blasters decided to rely more upon young Indian players and extended the contracts of Sahal and Rahul KP until 2025. They signed Nishu Kumar on a four-year deal from Bengaluru FC. Givson Singh, who performed well for the Indian Arrows the previous season was signed on a three-year deal. Puitea, Rohit Kumar, Ritwik Das, and Prabhsukhan Gill were the other major signings for the season. While developing a squad of young players, the club also signed senior player Jessel Carneiro, whose contract was extended to 2023. The Blasters only extended the contract of Sergio Cido and signed a new roster of foreign players under the supervision of the new sporting director. Facundo Pereyra, Costa Nhamoinesu, and Bakary Koné were signed for a one-year deal while Vicente Gómez was signed for a three-year deal. They fulfilled the AFC player quota by signing Jordan Murray.

Stadium

Kerala Blasters play their home matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the Ernakulam district of Kochi. The stadium is multipurpose but is mostly used for football. The stadium has hosted games of both the Indian national football and cricket teams, and has hosted National Football League and I-League clubs F.C. Kochin and Chirag United Club Kerala.

The stadium was also a venue for the Indian Premier League side Kochi Tuskers Kerala and was selected as a venue for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. As a part of the FIFA event, the stadium was renovated and new seats were fitted and its capacity was reduced to 50,000 and later to 41,000, taking into account security issues. The stadium received the Best Pitch of the Season Award during the 2018-19 season of Indian Super League. In 2019, Greater Cochin Development Authority proposed the installation of solar panels in the stadium, which would make it the first such venue in Kerala and the third in the country to be powered by solar energy.

Rivalries

The Kerala Blasters have developed a rivalry with fellow southern team Chennaiyin FC. Former Chennaiyin head coach Marco Materazzi was sent off when the clubs played each other in the 2014 final. Materazzi was then given a one-match suspension in 2016 after he was involved in a scuffle between a Chennaiyin player and a Kerala Blasters player. This incident led Kerala Blasters fans to wear masks of Zinedine Zidane at the return leg in Kochi, intensifying the rivalry between the clubs. The meetings between the two teams are known as the Southern Butt.

Kerala has century-long rivalry with Bengal that began with the Santhosh Trophy. The Blasters' rivalry with ATK rivalry started at the 2014 final, which ATK won in extra time. The clubs played each other again at the 2017 final, which the Blasters lost on penalties.

The Blasters have also developed a rivalry with Karnataka-based club Bengaluru FC, which started in 2017 before Bengaluru began playing in the ISL. The rivalry stems from the competition between both clubs' fan bases; the Blasters' Manjappada and Bengaluru's West Block Blues.

Ownership

Kerala Blasters is owned by a company called Blasters Sports Ventures Private Limited (BSVPL). From 2014 to 2015, the club was co-owned by Prasad V. Potluri and Indian former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar took a stake in the club because he wanted to help popularise football in India and to see Kerala return to its former glory as a footballing state. In May 2014, He said; "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."

As of 2016, the other investors in BSVPL include film stars Chiranjeevi and Akkineni Nagarjuna, film producer Allu Aravind, and industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad. In September 2018, Tendulkar decided to sell his stake in BSVPL for personal reasons, stating; "A piece of my heart will always beat for Kerala Blasters".

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

Crest, colours, and kit

The crest and colours for Kerala Blasters were announced at the club's official launch on 15 September 2014.

Crest

The club's crest is designed around the elephant, one of Kerala's main symbols, to reflect its place in Kerala's culture and festivities, and to represent the state's sporting legacy. The elephant holds a football with its trunk, denoting the state’s deep connection with the sport. The elephant is a symbol of unity, power, and pride; it also symbolises the heritage, culture, spirit, and passion of Kerala, and its love for football.

Colours

Since its inception, the club colours have been yellow and blue. According to former co-owner Sachin Tendulkar, yellow stands for determination and faith.

During their inaugural season, the club wore yellow shirts and blue shorts. This kit was used until the 2016 season. For the 2017-18 season, the Blasters introduced an all-yellow kit with a different shade of yellow. Yellow is the primary colour and blue remains the secondary colour that flows across the side of the shirt. This kit was used for the 2018-19 season, after which the team returned to its traditional yellow and blue kit with the same shades as the previous season.

Kit evolution

Early years

2017-2019

2019-2020

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

On 29 September 2014, it was announced Kerala-based Muthoot Pappachan Group would be the title sponsor for the Kerala Blasters. Under the original agreement, the company would sponsor the Blasters for one season with the option to extend the sponsorship. On October 24 that year, A month later, the Blasters announced the German sports manufacturer Puma would be the kit sponsors for the 2014 season. Both sponsorships continued in 2015 and Muthoot remained as title sponsor into the 2016 season. In June 2019, the Blasters signed a five-year deal with Jain University to be the presenting sponsor of the club. In September 2020, the club signed a long-term deal with Statsports as their performance partner.

Players

Current squad

As of 28 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  IND Bilal Khan 3 DF  IND Sandeep Singh 4 DF  BFA Bakary Koné 5 DF  IND Nishu Kumar 6 MF  IND Prasanth K 7 MF  IND Seityasen Singh 8 MF  IND Rohit Kumar 9 FW  AUS Jordan Murray 10 MF  ARG Facundo Pereyra 11 MF  IND Givson Singh 12 DF  IND Denechandra Meitei 13 GK  IND Prabhsukhan Singh Gill 14 DF  IND Jessel Carneiro 15 MF  IND Jeakson Singh 16 MF  IND Nongdamba Naorem 17 MF  IND Rahul Kannoly Praveen 18 MF  IND Sahal Abdul Samad 19 FW  IND Shaiborlang Kharpan

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 MF  IND Ayush Adhikari 22 MF  ESP Sergio Cidoncha 23 FW  IND Naorem Mahesh Singh 24 DF  IND Abdul Hakku 25 MF  ESP Vicente Gómez 26 DF  ZIM Costa Nhamoinesu 27 MF  IND Ritwik Das 30 MF  IND Arjun Jayaraj 32 GK  IND Albino Gomes 37 DF  IND Kenstar Kharshong 39 DF  IND Lalruatthara 47 MF  IND Puitea 66 MF  IND Gotimayum Muktasana 77 GK  IND Muheet Shabir 88 FW  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 GK  IND Lovepreet Singh (to Sudeva FC till 31 July 2021)

Retired number(s)

Number	Player	Position	Kerala Blasters Debut	Last Match	Ref
21	Sandesh Jhingan	Centre back	21 October 2014 vs Chennaiyin	1 March 2019 vs Northeast United

Notable foreign internationals

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

Personnel

Current technical staff

As of 16 October 2020

Role	Name
Head Coach/Manager	Kibu Vicuña
Assistant Coach	Tomasz Tchórz
Assistant Coach	Ishfaq Ahmed
Goalkeeping Coach	Yusuf Ansari
Tactical & Analytical Coach	David Ochoa
Physical Preparation Coach	Paulius Ragauskas
Physiotherapists	Santhosh Chacko Askar PV
Goalkeeping Academy Coach & Goalkeeping Consultant	John Burridge
Reserves & U18 Coach	Renjith TA
U15 Coach	Vacant
U13 Coach	Vacant
Scouting Head	Ishfaq Ahmed

Management

Position	Name
Chairman	Nikhil Bhardwaj
Director of Football	Mohammed Rafik
Sporting Director	Karolis Skinkys
Technical Director (Youth)	Mario Marinică
Chief Revenue Officer	Joby Joseph

Last updated: 16 October 2020
Source:

Statistics and records

Season-by-season

As of 17 October 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	Iain Hume	5
2015	14	3	4	7	22	27	13	8th	DNQ		Antonio German, Chris Dagnall	6
2016	14	6	4	4	12	14	22	2nd	Runners-up		C.K. Vineeth	5
2017–18	18	6	7	5	20	22	25	6th	DNQ	Round of 16	Iain Hume	5
2018–19	18	2	9	7	18	28	15	9th	DNQ	Qualification Round	Slaviša Stojanović, Matej Poplatnik	4
2019–20	18	4	7	7	29	32	19	7th	DNQ	Tournament Suspended	Bartholomew Ogbeche	15
2020–21	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	TBD	TBD	TBP	TBD	–

Managerial history

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

Most goals Rank Player Goals 1 Bartholomew Ogbeche 15 2 C.K. Vineeth 11 3 Iain Hume 10 4 Raphaël Messi Bouli 8 5 Chris Dagnall 6 Antonio German 6 Mohammed Rafi 6

Most appearances Rank Player Appearances 1 Sandesh Jhingan 78 2 C.K. Vineeth 43 3 Sahal Abdul Samad 38 4 Mehtab Hossain 38 5 Prasanth Karuthadathkuni 33

Reserves and academy

Kerala Blasters Reserves

On 20 February 2018, the All India Football Federation, the organising body for Indian football announced the Kerala Blasters and six other ISL sides would field a reserve team in the I-League 2nd Division, India's second division football league. The team began playing in March 2018, when it was coached by Renjith TA. The Kerala Blasters Reserves team also participates in the Kerala Premier League, a state football tournament organized by the Kerala Football Association. The young players from the Under-18 team playing in the Elite League are promoted into the reserve team based on their performance.

Kerala Blasters Youth and Academy

As of 2020, the Kerala Blasters youth system, which is known as KBFC Young Blasters, consists of three teams from the Under-18, Under-15 and Under-13 age groups. The Under-18 team participates in the Elite League, which is the top level of youth football in India. The Under-15 and Under-13 teams participate in the Hero Juniors League and Hero Sub-Juniors League, respectively. The Under-15 side also participates in the Kerala Under-15 Academy League.

Honours

Nationals

• Indian Super League

Runners-up (2): 2014, 2016

• Elite League

Runners-up: 2017–18

Regional

• Kerala Premier League

Winners: 2019–20

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External links

• Official website
• Kerala Blasters at the Indian Super League official website.

v t e Kerala Blasters FC
Kochi, Kerala
The club	History Players Managers Results Current season All articles
Home stadium	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi
Other teams	Reserve and Youth Teams Kerala Blasters FC Reserves and Academy Women's Team Kerala Blasters FC Women
Key personnel	Owners Magnum Sports Private Limited Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys Head Coach Mikael Stahre
Fan group	Manjappada
Rivalries	South Indian Derby
Related articles	Yennum Yellow
Titles & Honours ISL Runner-up : 2014 2016 2021–2022
Seasons 2014 2015 2016 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Category • Commons

v t e Football in India
All India Football Federation State Football Associations
National teams	Men India U-23 U-20 U-17 Women India U-20 U-17 Others Beach soccer Futsal Men Women
League system	Men Indian Super League I-League I-League 2 I-League 3 Futsal Club Championship Women Indian Women's League Indian Women's League 2 State State Leagues Men Women Youth Youth League Reliance Foundation Development League
Cup competitions	International Intercontinental Cup Tri-Nation Series Gold Cup Club Super Cup Durand Cup others State (Senior) Santosh Trophy Women's Championship National Games Beach Soccer Championship State (Youth) B.C. Roy Trophy Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy Junior Girl's NFC Sub–Junior Girl's NFC Subroto Cup JSW Youth Cup
Defunct competitions	Leagues National Football League National Football League 2nd Division National Football League 3rd Division National Football League U19 Cups Federation Cup Nehru Cup Indian Super Cup others
Sports complexes	AIFF National Center of Excellence
History Champions Men Women Clubs Stadiums Asian competition Women's football Awards

v t e Sports teams based in Kerala
Cricket	Ranji Trophy Kerala IPL Kochi Tuskers Kerala (now defunct) CCL Kerala Strikers
Football	ISL Kerala Blasters I-League Gokulam F.C. Chirag United (now defunct) I-League 2nd Division Kerala Blasters (R) F.C. Kerala Kerala United FC Indian Women's League Gokulam F.C. Women Elite League Kerala Blasters (R) Gokulam F.C. F.C. Kerala MSP Football Academy Santosh Trophy Kerala KPL F.C. Kerala FC Thrissur Gokulam F.C. Kerala Blasters (R) Kerala United FC SBI Kerala Sports Academy Tirur
Futsal	APFC Kerala Blasters FC AFCC Kerala Blasters FC
Volleyball	Prime VL Kochi Blue Spikers Calicut Heroes

• Kerala Blasters FC
• Indian Super League teams
• Football clubs in India
• Football clubs in Kerala
• Football clubs in Kochi
• Association football clubs established in 2014
• 2014 establishments in Kerala