Indian Super League club FC Pune City amd its head coach Ranko Popovic have parted ways. The Serbian manager, guided the team to the ISL semifinals in the 2017-18 season, opted to call it a day as he is looking for new challenges.
The decision was announced by a media release issued by FC Pune City today.
“The decision to part ways is one of the most toughest I have had to made for a while. The professionalism of the management and the fans' support made my job here a memorable one and I wish the club all the best for the future,” Popovic said.
FC Pune City CEO Gaurav Modwel said that the name of the new head coach will be announced in due course of time.
“It has been a great season for FC Pune City and thanks to coach Ranko Popovic for making it memorable. His belief in the club's ethos, especially the youth, was remarkable and it helped us achieve a lot and unearth the hidden talent in our system,” said Modwel.
“He deserves a lot of credit for the historic run the club has had in 2017-18 ISL. But like someone has said 'all good things come to an end' and so has his journey with us,” he added.
The former Real Zaragoza and Buriram United FC coach joined the ISL's FC Pune City in September 2017 and made a lasting impression, helping the team breach the top-four barrier for the first time in the club's four-year history, the club said in a release.
“Under Popovic, the club established a reputation of playing an aggressive brand of football that helped FC Pune City remain among the top teams consistently through the season,” it said.
“Showing faith in the club's youth system under Popovic, as many as six young players made impressive debuts for FC Pune City in Indian Super League, including two from the club's academy,” the release added.