Odisha FC sack head coach Stuart Baxter with immediate effect

The club will announce the new interim coach for the remainder of the season soon.

Odisha FC have officially announced the parting of ways with head coach Stuart Baxter with immediate effect. The move after the Juggernauts suffered their eighth loss of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 season on Monday against Jamshedpur FC.

"Odisha FC has decided to terminate Head Coach Stuart Baxter's contract with immediate effect," read the club's official statement on Tuesday. "Interim Coach for the remainder of the season will be announced soon."

The Juggernauts have had an absolutely forgettable season as they managed to win just one game out of the 14 they have played so far. Five games finished as draws while they ended up losing eight times, twice more than any other team in the league. To add to their misery, the team managed to find the back of the net on only 13 occasions – the second-least tally in the league after SC East Bengal. Visibly, the team were struggling under the leadership of Stuart Baxter.

Moreover, the Englishman's derogatory comments after the loss against Jamshedpur FC could have perhaps been the breaking point for his time at the club. After the incident, the club immediately put out a statement saying, "The club is appalled at the comments made by Head Coach, Stuart Baxter during the post-match interview today. It is completely unacceptable whatever the context and does not reflect the values of the club."

"We, at Odisha FC, unreservedly apologize and the club management will handle this matter internally," the statement further read.

With just six games remaining to be played this season, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the club as the team will look to get as many points as possible to finish in a respectable position in the table.