Kerala Blasters part ways with Eelco Schattorie

The Dutchman had moved to the club at the start of the previous campaign from NorthEast United.

Indian Super League outfit Kerala Blasters have parted ways with their head coach Eelco Schattorie. The club made an official announcement through their Twitter handle to confirm the news. The statement read, “Kerala Blasters FC have parted ways with the Head Coach, Eelco Schattorie. We'd like to thank Eelco for his efforts and services during his tenure and wish him the best for the future.”

The Dutchman was at the helm for the 2019/20 Indian Super League season. Kerala failed to qualify to the playoffs as they finished seventh spot in the points table. The team from down south could muster merely 19 points from 18 matches. They emerged victorious in four games, whereas the Blasters drew and lost seven encounters each.

However, reports surrounding Schattorie’s departure have been around for the last month or so.

In fact, the coach shed some light on the same in an interview through an Instagram live session with Anant Tyagi last week. When asked about his future with Kerala Blasters, Schattorie had remarked, “I know the answer. But the club hasn’t given it out. It’s up to the club to announce that.”

This statement clearly suggested that the club had made a decision, but were only delaying the announcement due to reasons unknown. Schattorie has been criticized for his team’s rather unsatisfying campaign in the ISL last time around.

However, little thought has been put upon the issues that the Dutchman had to deal with during his tenure. Complications like prsistent injuries to key players, a set of underperforming goalkeepers and plenty of young, inexperienced players in the squad.

It could also be arguably said that the 47-year-old made the best use of the limited resources that he possessed during the seasons. However, results ultimately tend to define success and the coach seemed to have lacked behind in that aspect. Meanwhile, the Blasters have already reinforced their plans for the upcoming season.

As revealed by Khel Now exclusively last month, the victorious I-League coach Kibu Vicuna is set to sign for them. On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether Eelco Schattorie seeks a job in Indian football in the near future.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter and join our community on Telegram.