KOCHI: I-league side Gokulam Kerala FC have announced the appointment of Vincenzo Alberto Annese as their new head coach for the upcoming I-League season. And it was no mere announcement. On social media, Annese was unveiled as the 'Chosen One'.
The 35-year-old Italian left his position as the coach of the Belize national team to replace Fernando Santiago Varela for the Malabarians.
Under Varela, Gokulam managed to win the Durand Cup, but had an underwhelming campaign in the I-League, which led to the two parting ways at the end of the season.
The club has now decided to place their faith in Annese, who has previously coached clubs in Italy, Ghana, Indonesia, Latvia and Palestine. He was also the coach of the Armenian under-19 national team.
"I am delighted to be part of the GKFC family. My aim is to make the fans happy and make them dream big. I have already seen how GKFC have played last season and I believe the squad can achieve a lot," said Vincenzo.
Before turning to coaching, the UEFA Pro License holder also had a five-year stint as a professional football player. He started his career at the then Serie A club Venezia FC and also played for three other Italian clubs.
Foray into coaching
In 2010, Annese landed his first job as a manager at the Italy Serie C (third division) club AS Andria Bat Young.
After a three-year coaching period at the club, he moved to the Latvian first division club Saldus FK in 2014. Later, he joined Estonia Premier League club Paide Linnameeskond as an assistant coach.
In 2015, he went onto manage the Armenia Under-19 national team before moving to the Ghana Premier League club Bechem United FC. At Bechem United, he helped the club qualify for the Confederation of African Football club competition for the first time.
After his stint in Africa, he moved to Palestine, where he coached Al Ahli club and helped them to finish runners-up in West Bank Super Cup. The club was also runners-up in the Palestine Premier League that year.
He then had a brief stint at the Indonesian club PSIS Semarang and Kosova Premier League club Liria KF before managing the Belize national team last season. He also has experience working as a mentor coach in China.
"The coach brings considerable international experience to the club. He is young and has already accomplished several achievements. He is the most experienced coach we had so far. We believe that he would be able to bring more trophies and glory to Kerala," said Gokulam Gopalan, the chairman of Gokulam Kerala FC.