Gokulam Kerala part ways with head coach Domingo Oramas after poor show in I-League 2023/24 - Reports
As per The Times of India, Gokulam Kerala club president VC Praveen has confirmed the decision to mutually part ways with head coach Domingo Oramas and fitness coach Christian Rodriguez.
This decision was taken after the club’s poor show in the ongoing I-League 2023-24 campaign. Sources within the team management indicated that beyond the outcomes, the club management expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s playing style.
GKFC's assistant coach Shareef Khan will be the interim coach of the side for the remaining two games in the competition. Interestingly, before the season began, the club had invested a lot of money with the main aim of qualifying for the ISL.
Gokulam Kerala are currently occupying the fifth position in the I-League 2023-24 standings with 10 wins, six losses, and six drawn encounters, picking up 36 points at a goal difference of 13. Unfortunately, they could bag only one win in their last five games of the campaign.
Gokulam Kerala continue their bad show for second consecutive season
Regrettably, the club's unsatisfying run continued in the I-League 2022-23 season as well, winning 12 games, suffering seven encounters, and drawing 12 matches with 39 points.
Notably, the top-ranked team at the end of the I-League competition will get a direct entry to the Indian Super League from the 2022-23 season. Punjab FC with 52 points made it to the top-flight ISL in the previous edition.
The I-League was inaugurated in 2007 and since its inception, a total of seven teams have been adjudged champions. Dempo secured three titles, the most in the league’s history. Churchill Brothers, Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru, and Gokulam Kerala have won the league twice while Salgaocar, Aizawl, Minerva Punjab, Chennai City, and Roundglass Punjab clinched the silverware once apiece.
In June 2023, Spanish coach Domingo Oramas joined Gokulam Kerala FC as their new head coach, replacing his country mate Francesc Bonet, who took over from Richard Towa in December 2022.
Interestingly, Oramas has more than 20 years of coaching experience with a proven track record, including the Best Coach of the Year 2014, awarded by the Las Palmas Football Federation.