ISL 2018 | FC Pune City part ways with Miguel Angel Portugal
FC Pune City has opted to part ways with under-fire European coach, Miguel Angel Portugal after the Pune-based franchise endured yet another disappointing start to their ISL season. Pune is dead last on the ISL table with just one point after having lost two and drawn one match so far.
FC Pune City
Portugal, who came in as a replacement for the outgoing Ranko Popovic this summer, has seen his side draw one and lose two games as they languish at the last spot in the ISL team rankings. Pune City FC began their 2018-19 ISL campaign with a 1-1 draw against Delhi Dynamos earlier this month but slumped to a 2-0 defeat in Mumbai on October 19. The final nail on the coffin for Portugal came when his side was deservedly outplayed to a 3-0 defeat at home at the hands of Bengaluru FC three days later.
The European tactician was the head coach of Delhi Dynamos last year as he guided the club to a lowly eighth spot after they were already out of play-off reckoning midway through the 2017-18 season. Portugal had also briefly taken charge of Spanish second division side Granada towards the end of their 2017-18 campaign, before the start of this year’s ISL tournament.
As per reports in HT, an official from the support staff at Pune City said that the club’s technical director, Pradhyum Reddy, is likely to take interim charge on a temporary basis. Reddy is the former coach of Shillong Lajong FC, whom he had led to a 10th place finish in the 2011-12 I-League season. He later joined Bengaluru FC during the club’s establishment in 2013 and served as an assistant coach under Ashley Westwood for three seasons.
