Kerala Blasters – Once a title contender under Ivan Vukomanovic, now struggling for relevance in ISL

Kerala Blasters’ 0-2 defeat against Sporting Club Delhi on Sunday meant their winless streak continued midway through the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season.

The other side that is yet to win a match this season is Mohammedan SC, who field an all-Indian team, compared to the Blasters, who have five foreign players in their ranks.

Yet a draw against East Bengal saw KBFC earn their only point – a point that separates them from the relegation-threatened club from Kolkata.

It wasn’t that long ago that the club was consistently playing in the knockouts, attracting an average of more than 25,000 spectators to the hallowed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. That number has not reached the five-figure mark this season.

The fall from grace may seem sudden, but it has been happening for some time.

Where it started

Apart from the infamous strike, KBFC’s best era took place under Ivan Vukomanovic, who took the club to the play-off stage in three consecutive seasons (including one final) from 2021 to 2024.

The success attracted the attention of rival clubs, who at the time had the legacy and financial power to attract KBFC’s star players.

Sahal Abdul Samad left for Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Dimitris Diamantakos for East Bengal and Jorge Pereyra Díaz packed his bags for Mumbai City FC, one of the big departures since the 2021-2022 season.

Vukomanovic’s departure in 2024 was used as an opportunity to further shake up the squad, and the lack of consistency led to protests, especially from ‘Manjapada’, the club’s official fan club.

As a result, attendance continued to decline, sending the club into a financial tailspin.

The manageable one

The newcomers could hardly do much to extinguish the fire. The immediate need to catch up with the bigger clubs left no time for the newer players and managers to put a structure in place.

Vukomanovic’s replacement, Mikael Stahre, lasted 16 games. His full-time successor, David Catala, 11. Together they achieved eight victories, less than what Vukomanovic achieved in his first season alone.

Last season the team finished eighth, conceding 37 goals and recording just five home wins in the league, their worst result since the 2021-2022 season.

Under Catala, the team crashed out of successive editions of the AIFF Super Cup and remained winless in the current ISL season (including four consecutive home defeats) before he ‘resigned by mutual consent’.

The uncontrollable

Just like managers, the constant changes in the squad meant that the team no longer had a permanent core. However, the blame should not be aimed exclusively at the club management.

The delayed start to the final season due to issues in the Master Rights Agreement forced the club to temporarily suspend operations, leaving the players’ careers up in the air.

Foreigners Koldo Obieta, Juan Rodriguez and Tiago Alves, who joined prior to this season, left due to uncertainty surrounding the competition. Meanwhile, ISL regulars Noah Sadaoui and Adrian Luna opted not to sit around and wait for a solution, opting for seasonal loans.

On the contrary, clubs like Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City managed to largely retain their core, a reason for their dominance in the top half of the table.

What now?

KBFC’s hasty foreign purchases as a stopgap underline the underplanning, after the uncertainty in the competition.

For example, defender Oumar Bah, who was signed in January, ‘mutually parted ways’ with the club after playing in the first three league games and was replaced by Fallou Ndiaye.

With Catala having failed to survive their recent international breakthrough, England manager Ashley Westwood has now been given the responsibility of trying to avoid disaster that is relegation. And while he is well versed in Indian and Asian football, he got a taste of things to come when his side put in a lackluster performance against debutant SCD.

Blasters’ fate – surrounding relegation – will be decided within months, and regardless of the outcome, the bigger question remains: will the club heed the warning signs before it’s too late?

Published on April 6, 2026