Chennaiyin FC hand John Gregory one year contract extension after landing ISL title

Chennaiyin FC hand John Gregory one year contract extension after landing ISL title

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After winning their 2nd ISL title, Chennaiyin FC have has decided to give head coach John Gregory a one-year extension. The team's co-owner Vita Dani has also, in response to Gurpreet Sandhu's claim of Bengaluru being the actual champions, said that eventually, the title goes to the final winner.

Chennaiyin FC won their second ISL title after defeating Bengaluru FC 3–2 in the final of ISL 2017-18 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. The win was especially satisfying one considering their woeful ISL campaign last year and before the season started, the team were eager to turn their fortunes around. While the credit of the victory should obviously go to the players for putting up a strong performance, a share of the credit should also go to Gregory as well since he was instrumental in getting the team over the line. And that's why the club decided to give one more year of an extension to the manager.

“John’s contract has been extended by a season... that’s how he prefers it. John has played a very important role, especially when we had to bounce back from last season. It is under his leadership that the team has performed so well,” the team’s co-owner Vita Dani said as quoted by PTI.

“I am proud to say that we are one of the most successful teams in the ISL. We’ve made Tamil Nadu proud with two trophies.”

Chennaiyin FC were playing the final in front of a huge Bengaluru crowd but they still managed to keep their focus and secured a 3-2 win. But, after the final, Bengaluru FC and Indian national team keeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, claimed that BFC were the actual champions cause they won the league stage. However, Dani brushed aside those things and said playoffs were the only games that mattered.

“I don’t think it (playoff format) really matters. In season one, we topped the league and still lost the trophy. The format does not matter. But what is important is that how we played in the final. I think we’ve been one of the most consistent teams in the entire league and it is a deserved victory,” the Chennaiyin FC co-owner said.

“I take great pride in saying we are the first ISL club to get a spot in the AFC Cup,” Dani said.

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