New Gokulam Kerala boss Varela hoping to script I-League fairy tale

KOCHI: Over the last few seasons, the I-League has produced some scintillating stories of underdog teams coming out of nowhere to become champions. The triumphs of Aizawl FC (2016–17), Minerva Punjab (2017-18) and Chennai City (2018-19) are cases in point.When it comes to the 2019-20 I-League season, Gokulam Kerala FC could well be the dark horses who write the next Cinderella story. Their new head coach staunchly maintains that the Kozhikode-based club is gunning for nothing less than the trophy.

“Now we have the goal of winning the I-League and we will be focused on getting it. We want to put the name of Gokulam as high as possible in India and that is why we need all the fans to join us. We will be focussed on our work. The most important challenge is to win the I-League. We will respect our rivals, but I am convinced that we will be a very tough opponent,” Santiago Varela said. 

This is the Spaniard’s second stint with Gokulam. He was with the team for six months last year but departed abruptly before the start of last season. The team went on to have a disappointing campaign where they finished ninth in the eleven-team league. Varela said that ‘unavoidable circumstances’ led to his departure but added that he is now back ‘home’, and ‘ready’ to lead Gokulam to success. 

Varela who hails from Barcelona previously coached Catalan club CF Gava before joining Gokulam Kerala FC last year. “Here, they always treated me very well and everyone knows how to work. I thank the club president for selecting me to defend our colours,” he said. 

His first assignment is the Durand Cup where Gokulam will play against Chennaiyin FC, TRAU FC and Air Force in the group stages. “We are in the stage of preparation and adaptation. It is very stimulating for us to play this historic tournament and we will seek to be protagonists in the Durand Cup,” he said. 

Varela, who has also written a book ‘Futbol Inteligente’ on football training, explained that he wants to bring a style of play to Gokulam that appeals to the fans. “Football is like life itself, to get results you have to give the maximum of yourself. As for the philosophy of the game itself, we try to work with versatile, competitive players who try to put on a spectacle for the people. We want people to identify with our game.”

Varela picked out defending champions Chennai City FC, Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal as the favourites for the I-League.However, he maintained that his team wasn’t seeking mid-table comfort and safety. “I think that all teams are making a great effort to make Indian football take a quality leap, year after year. For our part, we will be a very competitive team and we will seek to implement a style of play that people like and enjoy seeing us. I repeat we will fight!”.