Hyderabad FC have announced that former Bengaluru FC manager Albert Roca will take charge of their team as head coach from the 2020-21 season of the Indian Super League (ISL). However, he will be advising Hyderabad’s new coaching staff for the remainder of the ongoing season.
The Hyderabad-based side are currently placed bottom of the table with just five points from 12 matches, which led to coach Phil Brown parting ways with the team on Saturday.
The team management have acted quickly to replace the Englishman and have brought Roca, who has prior experience in Indian football, on board. The Spaniard had coached Bengaluru FC from 2016 to 2018.
He was in charge of the Blues' first season in the ISL in 2017-18 where he managed to lead them to the final. However, they went on to lose the final to Chennaiyin FC.
Roca was also in the running for the Indian national team head coach's post after Stephen Constantine quit following the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. However, he was pipped by Igor Stimac for the position.
The 57-year-old now makes a comeback to Indian football but has a challenge on his hands. Hyderabad FC have been in dire form, failing to keep a cleansheet in 12 games and looking like a disjointed outfit.
Though he will officially take charge of the team from the next season, his inputs will be key as the management looks to lend a semblance of respectability to their downward spiralling season.