KOCHI: For six games, there was no win, no rhythm, and seemingly no way out for Kerala Blasters FC.
A season that began with promise under David Catala quickly spiralled into a nightmare as the Blasters stumbled through the opening phase of the shortened 2025-26 Indian Super League campaign. Defeats piled up, confidence drained, and the mood around the club turned toxic. By the middle of the season, the crisis had spread beyond the pitch — into the stands, the dressing room, and eventually the club’s boardroom.
But just when the campaign appeared headed for complete collapse, the Blasters rediscovered a pulse.
The turnaround came with the arrival of English coach Ashley Westwood, whose entry coincided with a long-overdue course correction by the management. Tactical clarity returned, the squad looked sharper, and the team finally began resembling a competitive unit. From being winless in six, the Blasters stitched together a five-match unbeaten run, winning four and drawing one, to rescue their season from embarrassment.
“Obviously, we have improved for sure. We are scoring goals and we have a long way to go. But the initial confidence is now higher because we won four games, and drew one, in five,” Westwood said.
“Being in a losing side led to low confidence with people being unsure of themselves. The team was obviously not functioning correctly. But with a new shape and formation, the determination to win was brought in by some non-negotiables like increasing the training load, increasing the interaction time within, and having a clear and direct plan.”
The revival becomes even more significant considering the circumstances in which the Blasters entered the season.
Crippled financially and operating amid uncertainty over the ISL’s future, the club was forced into a painful rebuild before the campaign even began. Fan favourites and proven match-winners — including former captain Adrian Luna and Moroccan winger Noah Sadaoui — departed, leaving behind an almost entirely new squad with little chemistry, and even less experience, together.
The vacuum, however, created unlikely heroes. French winger Kevin Yoke brought spark and urgency in attack, academy graduate Ebindas Yesudasan emerged as one of the breakthrough stories of the season, while Argentine playmaker Francisco Feuillassier evolved into the creative heartbeat of the side. Their rise gave fans something to hold on to in an otherwise turbulent campaign.
Yet the biggest story of the Blasters season unfolded off the pitch. The fractures between the management and supporters, simmering since last year, exploded into open confrontation this season. Fan groups called for a boycott midway through the campaign, leaving the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium — once one of Indian football’s loudest arenas — eerily empty.
For a club that built its identity around its supporters, the visuals were striking: a 40,000-capacity stadium drawing less than 10,000 spectators on average. The silence in the stands reflected the growing uncertainty surrounding the club itself.
The Blasters head into their final home game against FC Goa, on Monday, positioned eighth in the table after 12 matches. But league position barely captures the scale of the questions facing the franchise.
With the ISL’s broadcasting and financial future still unresolved, the club is expected to suspend operations once the season concludes. The franchise, already on the market for a potential sale, reportedly faces a genuine risk of shutdown if clarity over next season does not emerge soon.
In many ways, the Blasters’ season has mirrored the instability surrounding Indian football itself — uncertain finances, shrinking confidence, and a battle for survival dressed up as a sporting contest.
“The squad next season is a hard discourse to even think about as no one knows the status of the league and finances, and no one can plan for the unknown. At the moment, however, we will focus on the team and try to improve,” Westwood added.
So, when the Blasters walk out into the Nehru Stadium one final time this season, it may not simply be the end of another campaign.
It could well be the closing chapter of a club fighting to hold itself together while waiting for Indian football to decide what comes next.
Chaos & closure
Crippled financially and operating amid uncertainty over the ISL’s future, the club was forced into a painful rebuild before the campaign even began
This season, the fractures between the management and supporters exploded into open confrontation