Churchill rope in Dimitriou as new coach

Panaji: Churchill Brothers FC have been forced to appoint a new coach after Francesc Bonet’s arrival in India was delayed due to “immigration issues.”
The two-time I-League champions had handed an extension to the Spanish coach after he impressed senior officials, taking charge of the team midway into the season. Bonet, however, is unable to make the trip to India at the moment, prompting the club to sign a replacement.
Churchill have now confirmed the appointment of Cypriot coach Dimitris Dimitriou, who has previously worked in the I-League with TRAU.
“Dimitriou is already here and has taken charge of the team’s training sessions,” a senior club official told TOI. “Bonet had some immigration issues, but he could still be involved (with the club) in some capacity at a later stage. Our aim is to challenge for the title.”
Dimitriou, 54, has a wealth of experience under his belt having previously worked with Manchester City as assistant coach. A UEFA Pro Coaching license holder, he gave a good account of himself during a controversy-ridden short stint with TRAU in the I-League.
TRAU hired the services of the Cypriot midway into their I-League campaign in 2020. The club were without a win till then, and Dimitriou responded by leading the club to four straight wins, besides two draws. However, the experienced coach was unceremoniously shown the door, even after he took the I-League debutants from the bottom to third on the table.
While TRAU said he was sacked “because of his indiscipline and misconduct,” the coach blamed his exit on the club secretary, insisting he was forced to sign a new contract, take a reduce salary and have a new clause that gave the senior club the authority to pick the team.
For Churchill, the past would hardly matter as they count on the coach to steer the team to the top.
Since I-League champions were assured of a spot in the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) on sporting merit, Churchill have made no secret of their ambition to emerge champions and move higher.
They’ve struggled since the Covid-19 pandemic but have now signed quality foreign players who could give them an edge. The new arrivals at Churchill includes England striker Kurtis Guthrie, who joins the club from Scottish Premiership side Livingston FC, the first instance of a player headed to the I-League straight from the Scottish top tier.
The two-time champions have retained former Ivory Coast defensive midfielder Aubin and have also signed Juan Mera, an I-League winner with Punjab FC when they qualified for the top-tier ISL, midfielders Sebastian Gutierrez (Colombia), Pape Gassama (Senegal) and South African striker Wayde Lekay.
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