Indian Super League franchise Chennaiyin FC and Italian World Cup winner and coach Marco Materazzi parted ways after three years, the club announced in a statement on Monday.
Materazzi started out as a player-manager in the inaugural season of the ISL, and appeared seven times before taking over coaching duties full time. After narrowly going down to Kerala Blasters in the semi-final of the first edition, Chennaiyin went on a remarkable run in the following season to lift the title for the first time.
Last season, though, was a steep fall from the heights Chennaiyin managed to scale in the 2015 season, and they finished only one point above the bottom-placed FC Goa.
The club owners thanked the 43-year-old for his contributions, “We thank Marco for three memorable seasons and wish him the very best for the future. He will forever be a Chennaiyin FC legend and is also guaranteed a place in ISL history. Marco will always be warmly welcomed back in Chennai and especially at the Marina Arena,” the Chennaiyin FC co-owners stated in a joint statement.
Marco Materazzi paid tribute to the fans during as he bid adieu to the Marina Arena, “These past three seasons with Chennaiyin has been a great adventure on a sports and human level,” he wrote. “I leave the club today grateful to have been given the opportunity to contribute in my own modest way to the shaping of India as a football nation and most of all grateful to have lived firsthand the birth and growth of Chennaiyin FC. Incredible team, incredible fans, incredible India,” Materazzi added.
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