How Odisha FC Pulled Off The Sergio Lobera Coup, Beating Off Strong Challenge

Bhubaneswar: Odisha FC, on the back of their most rewarding season, are leaving no stone unturned to consolidate the gains and push higher.

Having made the playoffs for the first time, lifted the Hero Super Cup and qualified for the main round of AFC Cup, Odisha have started the process of team building.

Just the other day, they signed a contract extension with dependable goalkeeper Amrinder Singh. And on Wednesday, Odisha FC pulled off a coup of sorts by appointing Spaniard Sergio Lobera as their head coach on a two-year deal.

In his four previous seasons in India, Lobera left an indelible mark on Indian football during his three-season stint with FC Goa and then one season in charge of Mumbai City FC. The 46-year-old coach helped FC Goa advance to the playoff stage all three times, with icing on the cake in 2019-20 when his boys topped the ISL standings to lift the League Winners’ Shield.

He then took on Mumbai City FC’s offer and coached them to the double of ISL League winners’ Shield and the ISL winners’ trophy in 2020-21.

Lobera’s next destination was China, to coach League One side Sichuan Jiuniu. However, the Chinese honeymoon lasted just a year.

When it became known that he was open to the idea of returning to India, Lobera was a man in big demand. East Bengal, in fact, were learnt to be very close to inking a contract with the master tactician. A handful of other clubs were also keen on getting him on board.

But it was Odisha FC who stolr others’ thunder, and got his signature.

“When we reached out to him, there was uncertainty whether he would even consider Odisha. But once we started speaking and presented our project, he knew what we aim to achieve,” Odisha FC president Raj Athwal was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

“We want to truly build a sustainable club and I’ve got to praise general manager (Abhik Chatterjee) for making more of an effort rather than wait for things to happen,” Athwal said, adding that Lobera made average players good and good players excellent.

The Bhubaneswar-based club’s management believes that Lobera is the right man to lead Odisha FC to greater heights by instilling a winning mentality among is players.

“We are delighted to welcome Sergio to the OFC family. His appointment is an important moment for the club which signifies the direction and aspiration we want to head towards and the club would like to welcome Sergio and wish him the very best for the upcoming season,” said Athwal.