DYNAMOS UNVEIL Gombau as new boss
Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos on Thursday appointed former Barcelona B manager Josep Gombau as its head coach for a two- year term.
The 42- year- old has taken over the reigns from Miguel Angel Portugal, who left the club in May.
Born in Amposta, Spain, Gombau started his coaching career at the age of 16 when he joined the youth team of Amposta FC.
Gombau then left his home city to become a coach at Espanyol’s youth team, before joining FC Barcelona B in 2003. During his six- year stint with the Catalan side, Gombau held multiple positions with the academy.
“I am looking forward to this opportunity in the Indian Super League. I am not new to Asian football, so I know what to expect and I am ready for this challenge. The goal is to keep the philosophy of this club intact and to take the players to the next level where they are ready to challenge for the title,” Gombau said.
Following stints in Spain, coach Gombau moved to Hong Kong to join Kitchee SC as the club’s head coach in 2009. During his fouryear tenure there, he won the Hong Kong First Division League and the Hong Kong FA Cup twice in addition to the Hong Kong League Cup.
In 2013, he signed for Adelaide United in the ALeague and after an impressive two year, stint he was appointed as the head coach of the Australia U- 23 side, along with being the assistant coach of the Australian men’s national team in 2016.
PUNE CITY SIGN HUME
FC Pune City signed Iain Hume for the new season. Hume, who is the highest goal scorer in the ISL, has plied his trade in tournament with Kerala Blasters FC and ATK, scoring 28 goals in four seasons.
Besides, his 59 appearances till date is the highest number of games played by any player in ISL.
As a part of the agreement, the club will have an option to retain the prolific Canadian forward for one more year at the end of the coming season, a media release issued here said.
In February, Hume suffered a knee injury that ruled him out of action for the rest of season.
Thereafter, he has undergone surgery on his right knee and has been undergoing rehabilitation in India and the UK.
After signing on the dotted line for FC Pune City, Hume said, “It wasn’t a very tough decision to make, to return to the ISL and join FC Pune City if I’m honest.
“Ive had long chats with the club and its medical team. I’m sure together we can make my recovery as quick as possible and back doing what I do best ( playing football, fighting for the shirt and scoring goals) as soon as possible,” he added.