Kochi FC coach Mario Lemos sees Super League Kerala as ladder to India’s top clubs

Lemos wants to make the new Kerala league a ladder to reach some of India’s big clubs in the I-League and Indian Super League.

Forca Kochi FC head coach Mario Lemos (left) with the team’s assistant coach Jo Paul Ancheri in Kochi on Monday. | Photo Credit: Stan Rayan

Coach Mario Lemos may be making his Indian debut with Forca Kochi FC in the inaugural Super League Kerala, which begins at Kochi’s Nehru Stadium on September 7, but he is not new to the country’s football.

The 38-year-old from Portugal coached Dhaka’s Abahani Limited to stunning wins over former Indian Super League (ISL) champion Chennaiyin FC and former I-League winner Minerva Punjab as he sensationally guided the Bangladesh side to the AFC Cup’s inter-zone semifinals in 2019.

And now that he is here as Forca Kochi’s head coach, he wants to make the new Kerala league a ladder to reach some of India’s big clubs in the I-League and ISL.

“I did a good job back in Bangladesh. Now, I think this is a stepping stone to show my work... I’ll do it,” said Lemos in a chat with Sportstar here on Monday.

“I have a good friend of mine, Petr (Kratky) at Mumbai (City) FC... He was supposed to be my assistant and now he is the head coach in Mumbai. Sometimes, things sometimes change very quickly in football, you win a game, one good season and it can really change your career. Sometimes, it’s the timing. Actually, I had a deal to come to Rajasthan United in the I-League and then it didn’t happen... Now, I have this job.”

Less than two weeks remain for the start of Kerala’s SLK but Lemos is still waiting for two of his foreign players and five Indians to join Forca Kochi.

“I would say we have 70 per cent of the team. The (Kerala) Police players are yet to come, they are the more experienced players... All the young ones have come,” said Lemos, who has former Indian captain Jo Paul Ancheri as the team’s assistant coach.

“I have to find solutions, I have to adapt. I think everybody is going to have some problem. It’s a new league, it’s normal. To be honest, I’ve been in worse situations... Sometimes, I’ve had lesser time. Two weeks give me some time to work. I think I have a good idea what I want to do. In two weeks, I can really push them for the first match (against Malappuram FC).”