Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC head coach Carles Cuadrat was Wednesday shown the door after a string of poor shows by the club in the ongoing Indian Super League.
The former champions had seen three losses on the trot with the last one being against Mumbai City FC on Tuesday and club director Parth Jindal made it known that Cuadrat was not sticking to the “team philosophy” this season.
With three wins and equal numbers of draws and losses, Bengaluru FC are currently outside the top four in the ISL table as they slipped down to fifth with 12 points, 10 points adrift of current top position holder Mumbai City FC.
In a statement, the club, however, said that Cuadrat leaving Bengaluru FC was a “mutual decision”.
“After deep deliberation with the management, we feel the club needs to head in a new direction – one where the ethos and philosophy of Bengaluru FC begins reflecting again,” Jindal said in the statement.
“While we enjoyed success with Carles in the past, we felt there was a departure from the philosophy that we hold true this season, which prompted us to arrive at this decision.”
Cuadrat, who was in his fifth season with the club (two as an assistant to Albert Roca before he took charge as head coach), will be replaced by Naushad Moosa, who will step in as interim head coach with immediate effect.
Moosa’s first assignment will be the game against SC East Bengal Saturday at Margao.
Under Cuadrat, Bengaluru FC became the first and only team in ISL history to top the table and win the title in the same season. The Blues, under the Spaniard, also hold the record of most consecutive wins (six), unbeaten streak (11 games) and clean sheets (11).
“I greatly appreciate the club for giving me the opportunity to be head coach. It has been a relationship where I have been treated really well and a club that I will always have fond memories of. I wish the club all the luck through the season and beyond,” Cuadrat said.
Jindal said in the five years that Cuadrat spent with the club, he has gone through all the ups and downs experienced by it.
“He was around when we lost the AFC Cup final and then the ISL final, before leading us to the ISL title on that night in Mumbai,” said Jindal.
“Naushad Moosa has been with the club for four seasons and we are confident he will get the team to play the kind of football that we have based our success on. We will be bringing someone as coach who can further the philosophy and style of this club.”
PTI