Kerala Blasters FC

Sachin Tendulkar, one of the first co-owners of the club

In early 2014, the All India Football Federation—the governing body of association football in India, announced they would accept bids for the ownership of eight franchises from selected cities for the inaugural season of Indian Super League (ISL).[1] 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.[2] On 27 May 2014, the club's official name, Kerala Blasters FC, was announced;[3] it is because the club represents not only Kochi, but the whole Kerala’s passion towards football. The name Blasters was based on the nickname of Tendulkar, who was known as Master Blaster during his playing days.[4]

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.[5] Indian international Mehtab Hossain was the first choice made by the club.[6] The 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 their inaugural season.[7] As a mandatory rule, ISL clubs had to sign one internationally reputed player as a marquee signing. On 13 August 2014, former England international goalkeeper David James was chosen as the first head coach and marquee player of the team.[8] On 21 August 2014, the club participated in the international draft; the management selected seven foreign players for the team.[9] Michael Chopra, Iain Hume, Pulga, Erwin Spitzner, Pedro Gusmão, Cedric Hengbart and Raphaël Romey were the seven foreign players drafted to Kerala Blasters.[10] Along with them, the club directly signed Penn Orji, Jamie McAllister, Andrew Barisic, Stephen Pearson and Colin Falvey in the remaining foreign players slots.[11]

David James was the first manager and marquee player of the club

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.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] 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 (Kochi).[15] The Blasters qualified for the playoffs on 9 December 2014 with a 1–0 victory over Pune City.[16]

After finishing in fourth place during the regular season, 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.[17] 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, Stephen Pearson scored the decisive goal in the 117th minute to win the tie 4–3 to enter the final.[18]

In the final, Kerala Blasters played ATK at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. Hume should have given Blasters the lead after 55 minutes, but he took too long alone in front of the goalkeeper, allowing the defenders to eventually block his shot. The match was destined to go to extra time until ATK were given a corner kick in the last minute, and headed the ball at the near post. As a result, the Blasters lost the match 1–0 despite dominating it throughout the 90 minutes.[20]

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, it was confirmed that former England Under-20 head coach Peter Taylor would take over the manager role at the club.[21] New signings for the season included Peter Ramage, Stephen Bywater, Bruno Perone, Sanchez Watt, João Coimbra, Josu, Mohammed Rafi and Carlos Marchena as the marquee signing.[22]

The first match of the season was played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium against NorthEast United where the Blasters won 3–1 with goals from Josu, Mohammed Rafi, and Sanchez Watt.[23] They 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.[24] 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.[25] The Blasters ended their second season in the last place of the league table.[26]

Steve Coppell led the Blasters into the 2016 ISL finals.

In an effort to rebuild the team after failing to qualify for the semi-finals in the previous season, the Blasters announced the signing of former Crystal Palace manager Steve Coppell as their head coach on 21 June 2016.[27] A week later, the club announced the signing of Northern Ireland international Aaron Hughes as their marquee player for the season.[28] Other signings for the season included Graham Stack, Kervens Belfort, Duckens Nazon, and Mohammed Rafique along with the return of former players Michael Chopra and Cédric Hengbart.[29]

The season began with a 1–0 defeat away from home against NorthEast United.[30] The Blasters struggled early in the season, as they failed to score goals.[31] After the return of C.K. Vineeth from his loan-spell with Bengaluru FC, Blasters solved their goal-scoring issue. He scored four goals from his first five matches which includes a winner against FC Goa and a brace over Chennaiyin FC. In order to qualify for semi-final, Blasters needed to avoid a defeat against North East United FC.[32] Vineeth's only goal in the 66th minute helped Blasters to beat North East United 1-0 to seal the second place behind Mumbai City FC in the league table.[33]

After finishing in second place during the regular season, the Blasters played third-placed Delhi Dynamos in the first leg of the semi-finals,[35] which took place in Kochi. The Blasters won the match 1–0 through Kervens Belfort's 65th-minute goal.[36] During the second leg in Delhi, the Dynamos won in extra time 2–1, which meant the scores became tie on aggregate and the match went to penalty shootout where the Blasters won it 3–0 to enter the final.[37] In the final, the Blasters played host to ATK and got the lead early through Mohammed Rafi before ATK equalized soon after and 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.[38]

After losing in the previous season's finals, Steve Coppell rejected a new contract extension so the club appointed former Manchester United assistant manager René Meulensteen as their new manager.[39] Blasters released all of their foreign players and signed some more, including former Manchester United players Dimitar Berbatov and Wes Brown.[40][41] Sandesh Jhingan was appointed as the captain and the club re-signed their leading goalscorer from the first season Iain Hume.[42] The Blasters won only one of their first eight games that season, leading to the sacking of Meulensteen.[43] Fan-favourite manager David James returned to the squad as caretaker.[44] The Blasters won five of the remaining ten matches and finished sixth in the 2017-18 Indian Super League season. They were eliminated in the first round of the Super Cup.[45]

Having failed to qualify for the previous season's semi-finals, 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.[46] After the international mid-season break, the Blasters appointed Nelo Vingada as their new manager for the remaining six matches.[47] Of the remaining games, the team had only one win and three draws, and finished ninth in the league.[48] They were eliminated from the Super Cup in the qualifying round of the tournament.[49]

After a disappointing season, the Blasters appointed Eelco Schattorie as their new manager.[50] 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.[51] 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.[52] Both defenders missed the entire season and Rodrigues played a few matches in the start.[53] Gianni Zuiverloon and Mario Arqués and other players were also hit by minor injuries in the season; they missed some of the crucial fixtures.[54] The Blasters finished the season in seventh place in the table.[55]

From the 2020-21 season onwards, the management decided to build a new strategy at the club.[56] As a part of this, the Blasters appointed Karolis Skinkys as their new sporting director on 15 March 2020.[57] On 22 April 2020, the club officially announced the appointment of Kibu Vicuña as their new manager.[58] Fan-favourite defender Sandesh Jhingan left the club on 21 May 2020 by mutual consent, ending his six-year association with the Blasters[59] along with CEO Viren D'Silva who also left the club the same day itself.[60]

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.[61][62] They signed Nishu Kumar on a four-year deal from Bengaluru FC.[63] Givson Singh, who performed well for the Indian Arrows the previous season was signed on a three-year deal.[64] Puitea, Rohit Kumar, Ritwik Das, and Prabhsukhan Gill were the other major signings for the season.[65][66] While developing a squad of young players, the club also extended the contract of senior player Jessel Carneiro till 2023.[67] The Blasters only extended the contract of Sergio Cido among the foreign players and signed a new roster of them 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.[68] They fulfilled the AFC player quota by signing Jordan Murray.[69]

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.[71] 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.[70]

The club's home shirts during the 2016 season

Since its inception, the club colours have been yellow and blue. According to former co-owner Sachin Tendulkar, yellow stands for determination and faith.[72] During their inaugural season, the club wore yellow shirts and blue shorts and this was used until the 2016 season. For the 2017–18 season, the Blasters introduced an all-yellow kit with a different shade of yellow.[73] Here the blue remained as the secondary colour that flows across the side of the shirt.[74] 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.[75] In 2020, a new jersey in the club’s customary yellow and blue colours was launched, with this time, the blue coming in the arms. The kit which pays homage to the state of Kerala also had horizontal lines that run along the breadth of the jersey.[76]

The club's away colours for the first three seasons were yellow shirts and white shorts. For the 2017–18 season, the club introduced the all-black jersey with yellow stripe on the bottom of arms and shorts and this was used until the 2019–20 season.[77] In 2020, the Blasters launched a new blue away kit with a distinctive pattern.[78] This kit was launched by the club as a dedication to their fans who will be missed at the stands due to COVID-19 pandemic.[79]

In 2020, the Blasters launched a contest for the fans to design the club's first ever third kit for the 2020–21 season.[80] The third kit which had a white and gold colour scheme, designed by one of the fan was released by the club as an honour to the sacrifices and contribution of the frontline workers, who have been relentlessly working to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.[81]

On 29 September 2014, it was announced Kerala-based Muthoot Pappachan Group would be the title sponsor for the Kerala Blasters.[82] Under the original agreement, the company would sponsor the Blasters for one season with the option to extend the sponsorship.[82] On 24 October that year, a month later, the Blasters announced the German sports manufacturer Puma would be the kit sponsors for the 2014 season.[83] Both sponsorships continued in 2015 and Muthoot remained as title sponsor into the 2016 season.[84] In June 2019, the Blasters signed a five-year deal with Jain University to be the presenting sponsor of the club.[85] In September 2020, the club signed a long-term deal with Statsports as their performance partner.[86] On 7 November 2020, the Blasters announced its association with BYJU’S, the world’s largest EdTech company, as their new title sponsor on a five-year deal.[87]

The club's main rivals are their South Indian neighbours, Chennaiyin FC[109] and Bengaluru FC.[110]

Kerala Blasters have developed a rivalry with fellow southern club Chennaiyin FC from the inaugural season of the Indian Super League itself. Former Chennaiyin head coach Marco Materazzi was sent off when the clubs played each other in the 2014 final[111] and 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.[112] This incident led Kerala Blasters fans to wear masks of Zinedine Zidane at the return leg in Kochi, intensifying the rivalry between the clubs.[111] The meetings between the two clubs later came to be known as the South Indian Derby.[113] Bengaluru FC became a part of the South Indian Derby, when they joined Indian Super League in 2017.

The Blasters have also developed a rivalry with Karnataka-based club Bengaluru FC, which started in 2017 before Bengaluru began playing in the ISL.[114] The rivalry stems from the competition between both clubs fan bases; Manjappada of the Blasters and Bengaluru's West Block Blues.[115] The South Indian Derby between the Blasters and Bengaluru is often known as the 'Great South Indian Derby' or 'Real South Indian Derby'.[116]

The Blasters shares a rivalry with the Kolkata based club ATK Mohun Bagan. The club's rivalry with ATK started at the 2014 final, which ATK won in extra time. They played each other again at the 2016 final, which the Blasters lost on penalties.[117] In 2020 ATK merged with the football section of multi-sport club Mohun Bagan to form ATK Mohun Bagan. The Blasters faced ATK Mohun Bagan for the first time on 20 November 2020 in the opening fixture of 2020–21 season.[118]

As of 1 January 2021[126][127]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. 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 13 GK  IND Prabhsukhan Singh Gill 14 DF  IND Jessel Carneiro (Captain) 15 MF  IND Jeakson Singh 17 MF  IND Rahul Kannoly Praveen

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF  IND Sahal Abdul Samad 20 MF  IND Ayush Adhikari 24 DF  IND Abdul Hakku 25 MF  ESP Vicente Gómez (Third-captain) 26 DF  ZIM Costa Nhamoinesu (Vice-captain) 27 MF  IND Ritwik Das 31 MF  ESP Juande 32 GK  IND Albino Gomes 39 DF  IND Lalruatthara 45 DF  IND Denechandra Meitei 47 MF  IND Puitea 49 FW  IND Subha Ghosh 77 GK  IND Muheet Shabir 88 FW  ENG Gary Hooper 99 MF  IND Muktasana Sharma

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  IND Lovepreet Singh (to Sudeva Delhi FC till 31 July 2021) — FW  IND Naorem Mahesh Singh (to Sudeva Delhi FC till 30 June 2021) — FW  IND Shaiborlang Kharpan (to Sudeva Delhi FC till 30 June 2021)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 MF  ESP Sergio Cidoncha (season out due to injury)

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

As of 07 February 2021

Kibu Vicuña is the current head coach of Kerala Blasters

Role	Name	Refs.
Head Coach/Manager	Kibu Vicuña	[129]
Assistant Coach	Ishfaq Ahmed	[130]
Assistant Coach/Tactical & Analytical Coach	David Ochoa	[131]
Goalkeeping Coach	Yusuf Ansari	[132]
Physical Preparation Coach	Paulius Ragauskas	[131]
Physiotherapists	Pratik Kamble Santhosh Chacko Askar PV
Goalkeeping Academy Coach & Goalkeeping Consultant	John Burridge	[133]
Reserves & U18 Head Coach	T. G Purushothaman	[134]
U15 Head Coach	Vacant
U13 Head Coach	Vacant
Scouting Head	Ishfaq Ahmed	[135]

As of 27 January 2021

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	14	3	6	5	17	22	15	8th	TBD	TBP	Jordan Murray	6

As of 3 February 2021

Most goals Rank Player Goals[140] 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 Jordan Murray 6

Most appearances Rank Player Total Appearances[141] 1 Sandesh Jhingan 78 2 Sahal Abdul Samad 50 3 K. Prasanth 44 4 C. K. Vineeth 43 5 Mehtab Hossain 38

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.[142] The team began playing in March 2018, when it was coached by Renjith TA.[143] The Kerala Blasters Reserves team also participates in the Kerala Premier League (KPL), 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.[144] During their first season in KPL, they finished the group stage in third place behind Sports Academy Tirur by one point missing the play-offs. The team's best performance came out in 2020 as they won the 2019–20 Kerala Premier League after defeating the reserve side of Gokulam Kerala FC in a Penalty shootout.[145]

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.[146] The under-18 team participates in the Elite League, which is the top level of youth football in India.[146] The under-15 and under-13 teams participate in the Hero Juniors League and Hero Sub-Juniors League, respectively whereas the under-15 side also participates in the Kerala under-15 Academy League.[147]

• Indian Super League

Runners-up (2): 2014, 2016

• Elite League (Under-18)

Runners-up: 2017–18

• Kerala Premier League (Reserves)

Winners: 2019–20