Hero Indian Super League (ISL) franchisee Chennaiyin FC announced on Saturday that they have retained former Italian star footballer Marco Materazzi as their head coach for the second season of the tournament.
In the inaugural ISL tournament last year, Chennaiyin FC finished on top of the table during the league stages under the guidance of Materazzi. They lost to the eventual runners-up of the first edition Kerala Blasters in the semi-final. Co-owned by MS Dhoni and Abhishek Bachchan, Chennaiyin FC were also the first team to reach the semi-final last year.
"I am very happy to continue with Chennaiyin FC for another season. Despite starting our preparations late last season we still managed to be one of the best performing franchises of the Hero ISL. It was only possible thanks to the support I got from the owners, management, staff, players and the fans of Chennaiyin FC," said Materazzi in an interview to the official website of the Hero Indian Super League.
"I am already looking forward to the second season and we are working very hard to build a strong squad. All throughout my playing career I have always aimed to be first so of course the goal for the second season will be to become champions," Materazzi added.
The CEO of Chennaiyin FC Ashish Shah expressed his delight after retaining this World Cup-winning Italian star.
"We are delighted to have retained Marco as our manager for the second season. Our performances were excellent under his guidance last season and we aim to do even better this time. Marco was inspirational both on and off the pitch, bringing the best out of both the domestic and foreign players. We look forward to a successful second season," said Shah.
