Indian Super League side ATK Mohun Bagan renewed the contract of their coach Antonio Lopez Habas on Wednesday after the Spaniard led the side to a second-place finish in the 2020-21 season.
Apart from a second-place finish in the league phase, the Mariners also made it to the final of the tournament before losing out to eventual champions Mumbai City FC. And the management believes Habas is the right man to take the historic club forward.
"I am happy that the officials have kept faith in me and in our technical staff. It will inspire us all a lot before the AFC Cup. It will boost our morale," Habas said from Madrid to the Indian Super League website.
"Our goal now is to bring success to the club at the international level. We are committed to upholding the trust of members, supporters and officials,” he added.
Under Habas’ guidance, ATK Mohun Bagan remained one of the title contenders right through the season. They ended as the best defensive side in the league, conceding just 15 goals in 20 matches with Tiri, Sandesh Jhingan and Pritam Kotal striking up a formidable partnership.
#Mariners, we’ve got some great news for you! 🤩🥳
— ATK Mohun Bagan FC (@atkmohunbaganfc) March 31, 2021
We are delighted to announce that Coach Antonio Lopez Habas has signed a one-year contract extension with #ATKMohunBagan! 💚❤️#JoyMohunBagan #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/HpGKzcqlgz
Mariners’ star striker Roy Krishna ended ISL 2020-21 with 14 goals and 8 assists and rightly adjudged the 'Player of the Season'. ATK Mohun Bagan scored 28 goals in 20 matches in the ISL 2020-21 season. Though Michael Soosairaj's early injury took away lot of the sting from ATKMB's attack, the rise of Manvir Singh from the right flank was a delight for the fans.
Merging with ATK to become ATK Mohun Bagan last season, the rechristened ISL club didn’t see a drop in performance. Habas, who has previously won two ISL titles with ATK, managed a per game ratio of 1.91 in the recently concluded season, which is better than last season’s 1.90.
A second-place finish will see ATK Mohun Bagan compete in the qualifiers of the AFC Cup 2022 as well. Habas' most immediate task will be leading ATKMB in the AFC Cup group stages that start on May 14.
Feature Image Courtesy: Website/ ISL
