Sporting Clube sign coach Varela with eye on I-League

Panaji: have completed the signing of coach and believe that the Argentinian has the ability to take them back to the .
For two seasons in a row, Sporting Clube fell agonisingly short in their quest to return to the I-League, where they spent several seasons before deciding to withdraw in protest against the All India Football Federation’s ‘Roadmap’ that turned the Indian Super League (ISL) into a top league, leaving no scope for teams below to move up on sporting merit.
Now that the sporting merit route has been reopened, Sporting Clube have started building a team that can compete for honours.
“We were clear that a foreign coach is needed to provide that edge in the I-League 2,” said a senior official. “Armando Colaco did a wonderful job at the club for three seasons and we came close to qualifying for the I-League. Now, it’s time to count on a foreign coach and see what best can be done. Varela is someone who has lot of experience in India.”
Varela’s coaching journey has been described as an example of “adaptability, learning, and constant growth”. The 52-year-old’s career has taken him across different parts of the world, with experiences in Spain, India and, more recently, Afghanistan.
The India sojourn for the experienced coach started in 2018 when he signed for Gokulam Kerala, a club where he won the Durand Cup in his second stint. Interestingly, Varela also had two coaching stints with Churchill Brothers FC in Goa, leading them to a runnersup finish in the I-League.
One of the more significant accomplishments though was building a young side at Sreenidi Deccan FC when they debuted in the I-League. In the club’s first season, they finished third.
Varela also worked at FC Bengaluru United in the second division I-League where the club made an encouraging start but quite inexplicably collapsed towards the finish.