'SLK Took Me By Surprise': I-League Winning Coach Andrey Chernyshov On Support For Football In Kerala

SLK took me by surprise: I-League winning coach Andrey Chernyshov on support for football in Kerala (SLK took me by surprise: I-League winning coach Andrey Chernyshov on support for football in Kerala)

Super League Kerala: Super League Kerala club Kannur Warriors' manager Andrey Chernyshov was surprised by the fan base and the support for football in Kerala when he took over as head coach of Thrissur Magic in 2025.

Chernyshov will lead defending champions Kannur after a strong season with Thrissur, the club he led to a runners-up finish in 2025, having finished last in 2024.

Cherynshov is no new face to Indian football, having previously been with Mohammedan SC and helping them win the Calcutta Football League and their maiden I-League title. Speaking to IANS, the 58-year-old Russian tactician revealed that he was surprised to see the love for the sport in Kerala when he arrived for Thrissur Magic last year.

"I was really surprised when I came to the Super League Kerala; I did not expect interest from the fans in this tournament," he told IANS on Thursday.

"But I saw the interest of people for the Championship; they filled the stadiums. I remember my first match for Thrissur; it was very nice (support), and then in the final (Kannur vs Thrissur), it was an incredible atmosphere," he said.

He added that the support in the SLK surpasses the fans' presence at some matches in the I-League and Indian Super League. "In I-League, it's not like that and also in many cities in ISL, people do not come to watch. They are not interested; you can see that stadiums are not packed. But I was surprised by the SLK. The atmosphere is very nice in Kannur; they support the team.

"(If people are there) Players will play with double energy. They want to show a good game to the fans to make them happy. It is very important that people do come and watch the matches. This is very important for Kerala football and also for Indian football. I hope the support will be more this season," he added.

Chernyshov also stated that he wants to win the title with Kannur after joining them for the third season, but emphasised that things won't be that easy.

"We want to win this title, but we need to understand this season will be more difficult for us because last season Calicut was the defending champion and then all five other teams wanted to beat Calicut. They brought in double power, double energy and now we are in this situation; we are the defending champions. Now we need to understand that another five teams will fight against us," he said.

The 58-year-old further emphasised the presence of managers like former Jordan coach Vital Borkelmans, former Mohun Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa and SLK season 1 winner Ian Gillan, all of whom will be gunning to make things difficult for Chernyshov and his men.

"We want to win this title, but we need to understand this season will be more difficult for us because last season Calicut was the defending champion and then all five other teams wanted to beat Calicut. They brought in double power, double energy and now we are in this situation; we are the defending champions. Now we need to understand that another five teams will fight against us," he said.

Kannur Warriors will begin their title defence against Thrissur in a rematch of last season's finalists at the Jawahar Municipal Stadium, Kannur on September 25.

Article Source: IANS