Odisha FC are delighted to appoint Kiko Ramirez as their head coach for the next season of the Indian Super League 2021-22. Furthermore, the club has named Joaquín “Kino” García Sánchez as their new assistant coach and Head of Football development.
After calling it a day from professional football, Ramirez joined Spanish club Gimnastic as an assistant coach in 2002 and then also took over as youth coach. Subsequently, he joined Pobla Mafumet in 2010 and then returned back to Gimnastic again in 2012.
Thus, he has all the experience under his belt and he will aim to get the best out of the Odisha FC players.
Club President Mr. Raj Athwal said after the appointment, “We are delighted to welcome coach Ramirez to the Odisha family. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the club and has an impressive record with the clubs he has managed in Europe. Throughout the process he impressed with his vision and ambition and demonstrated a desire to create a winning mentality at Odisha Football Club. I am sure our supporters and everyone in Odisha will welcome coach Ramirez with open arms. We wish him well in achieving success for our football club.”
After signing for the club, coach Ramírez mentioned, “I am very excited to arrive in India and start working on this amazing project with Odisha FC to make our fans feel proud of the team. We are going to work hard to build a strong team with good players that represent our fan base.”
On the other hand, Sanchez has a UEFA Pro license and he has a lot of experience under his bag. Sanchez has served as former coach at Valencia CF’s youth teams.
Speaking of the assistant coach, Mr. Athwal stated, “I am also pleased to welcome our assistant coach Joaquin who has an impressive track record of developing players from the youth set up to the first team. His experience of coaching and developing the youth teams at Valencia CF will be paramount as we look to build and strengthen our academy in Odisha. As an expert in coaching, we have no doubt Joaquin alongside coach Ramirez will bring much needed success to Odisha Football Club.”
After joining OFC, the Spanish Assistant Coach and OFC’s new Head of Football Development explained, “I am happy to be part of the team as Assistant Coach of the first team and Head of Football Development for the Club. I am really looking forward to starting training with the great team that we are building. To all the fans, you will feel proud of us. See you in the pitch.”
Odisha FC had finished the previous season as wooden spooners as they could only manage two wins from 20 matches. Thus, both Ramirez and Sanchez will look to help the team in turning the tables in the eighth season of the tournament.
