Kerala Blasters part ways with Mikael Stahre: ISL

Mikael Stahre failed to keep up with the expectations.

In a recent turn of events, Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Kerala Blasters announced the departure of head coach Mikael Stahre alongside Assistant Coaches Björn Wesström and Frederico Pereira Morais. This comes in after the Blasters experienced an underwhelming and disappointing run of form in the ongoing ISL season.

The club also expressed its gratitude and thanked the head coach and his coaching staff for their efforts both on and off the field and wished them success in their respective futures.

“The club sincerely thanks Mikael, Björn, and Frederico for their contributions throughout their time with Kerala Blasters FC. We wish them nothing but success in their future endeavors,” the club announced in a statement on Monday.

🚨 CLUB STATEMENT 🚨Kerala Blasters FC confirms that Head Coach Mikael Stahre, along with Assistant Coaches Björn Wesström and Frederico Morais, have left their respective roles with immediate effect.Read the full statement on the club website ⏬#KBFC

— Kerala Blasters FC (@KeralaBlasters) December 16, 2024

Kerala Blasters under Mikael Stahre

The Kochi-based club announced the arrival of Swedish football manager Mikael Stahre ahead of the 2025-25 campaign.

Stahre took over the reins from the Blasters’ longest-serving manager Ivan Vukomanovic who was in charge of 68 games over three games. Mikael Stahre made his debut in Indian Football in the Durand Cup and his side snapped a 8-0 victory over Mumbai City FC in their season opener.

They had a really good Durand Cup campaign before crashing out in the quarter-finals. Stahre made a few notable changes in the squad and it seemed as if the Blasters were one of the teams to watch out for, but little did it reflect on their performances on the pitch. They began their ISL campaign with a 1-2 defeat to Punjab FC at home.

But, they bounced back really well and looked good in the next three games as they managed to remain undefeated. However, things went south from there on as they failed to put together convincing displays. The Blasters lost three games on the trot before securing a win against Chennaiyin and then three more, including a humiliating defeat to arch-rivals Bengaluru FC.

Mikael Stahre’s last game in charge was Kerala Blasters 3-2 defeat against Mohun Bagan where they dropped points from a winning position and ended up on the losing end. The Yellow Army is placed 10th on the table with just 11 points at the time of writing and have faced six defeats in their last seven outings.

What’s next? 

Kerala Blasters will now begin their search for a new head coach, but until then KBFC’s Reserve Team Head Coach and Head of Youth Development, Tomasz Tchórz and assistant coach, TG Purushothaman will take over the hot seat in the first team.

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