Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters today formally announced Ivan Vukomanovic as the club’s new head coach ahead of the ISL 2021-22 season. He will be 10th coach for the Blasters since the inception of the ISL in 2014. He will replace Kibu Vicuna, who parted ways with the club after yet another forgettable season, where they finished 10th in the 11-team tournament.
Vukomanovic will be the first Serbian to manage KBFC and has coached in the top divisions of Belgium, Slovakia, and Cyprus. The 43-year-old began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Belgian club Standard Liege in the 2013-14 season before his promotion in the subsequent term. Under him, the team secured qualification in the UEFA Europa league group stages two years consecutively. During this tenure, he was instrumental in moulding Belgian internationals like Mitchy Batshuayi and Laurent Cimon, among many others.
He has since managed SK Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak Super Liga, with whom he won the Slovakia National Cup, and was last in charge of Apollon Limassol in the Cypriot First Division.
Prior to his coaching career, Vukomanovic was a professional football player for 15 years. A former defender who could also play in defensive midfield, Vukomanovic had stints with prominent French club FC Bordeaux as well as FC Koln in Germany, Royal Antwerp in Belgium, Dynamo Moscow in Russia and Red Star Belgrade in Serbia.
Kerala Blasters sporting director Karolis Skinkys said: “I would like to congratulate Ivan on joining Kerala Blasters FC. It was a long process to choose the right candidate for the important head coach position. I think Ivan is the right fit for this big challenge and responsibility, someone who can handle the pressure here. I see his passion for the game, deep football knowledge and clear principles about football. I like his way of thinking and I believe that Ivan will be able to implement his football ideas in Kerala Blasters. We are looking forward to working in the same direction to help Kerala Blasters grow “
Commenting on his appointment, Vukomanovic said: “From my first contact with the club’s directors, the feeling was positive. They have a professional approach about their vision, which gave me a very good feeling. After seeing the army of fans and support KBFC has, I didn’t hesitate a second. Immediately I knew that I wanted to become a member of the KBFC family, and I am very glad it happened. I hope we will all work together to make everyone who loves this beautiful club happy and proud. Yennum Yellow!”
Vukomanovic’s coaching team will also include Belgian assistant coach Patrik Van Kets, who comes with 18 years’ experience as a professional footballing coach. He has worked as an assistant coach at various clubs in France and Belgium.
The club conducted an individual training camp after the end of last season to help its players improve their fitness and skills during the off-season. While preseason planning and preparations are already underway, the training camp is also expected to resume soon with Vukomanovic expected to arrive in India in the coming weeks.
