AIFF Media Team

KOLKATA: Fernando Santiago Varela is no stranger to Indian football having led Gokulam Kerala to a Durand Cup title and going very close to winning the Hero I-League with Churchill Brothers last season.

He has taken on a new challenge with Hero I-League debutants Sreenidi Deccan FC this time round, expressing his thoughts on the same at a virtual press conference on December 19, 2021, which he attended alongside club captain Dinesh Singh Soraisham.

“The chairman showed me around the facilities and explained his vision and our ambitions were the same,” said Varela. “This kind of a project will be good for Indian football.”

The Visakhapatnam-based team reached the final of the recently concluded IFA Shield, narrowly losing to Real Kashmir but Varela is not too concerned.

“We lost due to a last-minute error. We dominated the game but ended up on the losing side and that is how football is,” he reflected. “We have to learn from such experiences and do better in future.”

Sreenidi have assembled a squad filled with Hero I-League experience but Varela believes their chemistry that will be built on the training ground will prove crucial.

“We can have good players but the important thing is to build that understanding between them,” he said. “I have to make them aware of their roles with and without the ball.”

Dinesh Singh, who has played previously at this level with Real Kashmir and TRAU, personified his coach’s confidence.

“He (Varela) is always motivating and encouraging us, even when we make mistakes. We have a good squad and we feel ready to start our Hero I-League campaign,” he said.