In a surprising turn of events, Indian Super League table-toppers FC Goa sacked their head coach Sergio Lobera.
The coach of FC Goa's reserve side, Derrick Perreira, is expected to take charge of the side for the remainder of the season.
The former Barcelona youth team manager has been in charge of the Goan outfit for more than two seasons, replacing Brazilian great Zico.
He led FC Goa into the semifinals in the 2017-18 season, where they lost to Chennaiyin FC over two legs, and to the finals in the 2018-19 season, where they lost 1-0 to Bengaluru FC.
The highlight of his tenure was winning the Super Cup in 2019, beating Chennaiyin FC 2-1. He was also credited for the development of Indian players such as Brandon Fernandes, Mandar Rao Desai, Manvir Singh, Seriton Fernandes, Lenny Rodrigues.
This season, too, FC Goa have been in tremendous form, leading the table with nine wins in 15 matches so far.
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According to reports, the club management and Lobera had issues regarding his contract extension. His contract was to end with the ongoing season.
In an earlier interview with THE WEEK, Lobera had said that he wanted to “continue the good work into the next season, regardless of the results this year”.
"Nobody has spoken to me about extending the contract," Lobera had said. "I need to work next season. The future of my family is important. For me, the best option is to continue in Goa, but I need to know something."
Interestingly, Akshay Tandon, co-owner and president, FC Goa had told THE WEEK earlier in an e-mail interview that they will take a decision on Lobera's contract extension only after the current season is over. “We would love to have continuity. Given how much Sergio has given to the club, it would be great to start a new innings with him. However, we have decided we will only take a decision once the season is over. We will evaluate once we know whether the club will play in Asia or not, and at what level. Playing in Asia would mean a new strategy for the club and its technical staff and it will be important to align everyone with the club's strategy and vision,” Tandon had said.
Some of the players too, reportedly, complained to the club management about Lobera, which hastened the decision to sack him.
With the tournament approaching its business end, the sacking comes as a surprise for the FC Goa fans, especially with ATK and Bengaluru FC breathing down their neck in the ISL points table.
FC Goa were not available for comments when THE WEEK tried to contact them.
(With inputs from Reuben Joe Joseph)