BHUBANESWAR: Odisha FC on Tuesday announced that it has appointed Kiko Ramírez as the head coach ahead of the upcoming eighth season of the Indian Super League. The 51-year-old Spaniard, who will replace Stuart Baxter, has signed for the Bhubaneswar-based franchise for a year, with an option to extend after the season, Odisha FC said in a statement.
"I am very excited to arrive in India and start working on this amazing project with Odisha FC to make our fans feel proud of the team," Ramírez said. Before coming to India, the UEFA Pro Licence holder was the manager of Greek club Xanthi FC in 2019. "We are going to work hard to build a strong team with good players that represent our fan base," he added.
After his retirement from professional football as a player, Ramírez started his coaching career with Spanish club Gimnastic as its assistant coach in 2002 and then as its youth coach. He was the second coach at the club in the first division in Spain as well.
OFC has also roped in the services of Joaquín 'Kino' García Sánchez as assistant coach and head of football development ahead of the 2021-22 ISL season. Sanchez, who has a UEFA Pro Licence, has a lot of experience in developing players and is a former coach at Valencia CF's youth teams, it said.