 | |||
| Full name | Chennaiyin Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Marina Machans (The Sea Blues) | ||
| Short name | CFC | ||
| Founded | August 28, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-08-28) | ||
| Ground | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 40,000 (36,000 seated)[1] | ||
| Owner | Abhishek Bachchan MS Dhoni Vita Dani | ||
| Head coach | Owen Coyle[2] | ||
| League | Indian Super League | ||
| 2023–24 | Indian Super League, 6th of 12 Playoffs: Knockout | ||
| Website | chennaiyinfc | ||
 Current season | |||
| Departments of Chennayin FC | ||
|---|---|---|
 | |  |
| Football (Men's) | Football (Reserves & Academy) | eSports[3] |
Chennaiyin Football Club is an Indian professionalfootball club based inChennai,Tamil Nadu. The club competes in theIndian Super League (ISL), the top flight ofIndian football. The club was founded in August 2014 during theinaugural season of the ISL. It has won the ISL Cup title on two occasions, in the2015,2017–18 seasons respectively.
The club is owned by Vita Dani,Bollywood actorAbhishek Bachchan andIndian cricketerMS Dhoni.[4] The team's nameChennaiyin FC meansChennai's football club inTamil where the 'yin' suffix is similar toa possessive 's' in English.[5] The club's primary colour is blue ever since its inception and its logo is theDhrishti Bommai, a representation of chasing away negativity and preserving positivity in theTamil culture.[6]
Chennaiyin has played three ISL Finals winning it two times. The first final they played was the2015 final which they beatFC Goa by 3–2 inGoa. In theirsecond final, they played againstBengaluru FC atBengaluru and won their second title by winning 3–2. During2019–20 season Chennaiyin played their third final againstATK, which they lost 3–1.
When theIndian Super League was founded in 2014, the city ofChennai was one of the nine proposed cities up for franchise bidding.[7] However, on 11 April 2014 it was reported that Chennai's main bidder, a consortium led bySunil Gavaskar would drop out due to commitments with theBoard of Control for Cricket in India.[8] In August 2014, with two months before the2014 ISL season, the Bangalore ownersSun Group dropped out due to disputes with the organizers.[9] Initially reports came out that the ISL organizers were looking for bidders for new owners for the Bangalore franchise before it was revealed thatRonnie Screwvala and actorAbhishek Bachchan would together bid for a Chennai team instead of a Bangalore franchise.[10]
On 14 August 2014, it was reported that ISL officials were inspecting theJawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai for the proposed team.[11] Finally, the team was bid for by actorAbhishek Bachchan and Vita Dani. On 12 September 2014, Italian World Cup winnerMarco Materazzi was hired as player-manager.[12] On 6 October 2014, former Indian cricket captainMahendra Singh Dhoni became the joint co-owner of the club. The club officially launched their jersey on 9 October 2014 but had changed their home jersey's pattern in the2018–19 Indian Super League season.
On 15 October 2014, Chennaiyin won their first Indian Super League fixture with a 2–1 victory overFC Goa. The goals were scored byBalwant Singh, who became the first Indian player to score in the competition, and the former Brazil internationalElano.[13] On 28 November 2014, the club broughtAlessandro Nesta, who won the World Cup for Italy out of retirement.[14] The team finished its 14-game regular season in first place in the league. In the semi-finals, the team lost the first leg 3–0 toKerala Blasters FC. In the second leg, they overturned the deficit by leading 3–0 in regular time. However, a 117th-minute goal byStephen Pearson sent Kerala through to the finals.
For thesecond season ofIndian Super League, they retained six players:Balwant Singh,Jayesh Rane,Dhanachandra Singh,Jeje Lalpekhlua,Harmanjot Khabra andAbhishek Das.[15] They also signedGodwin Franco andMehrajuddin Wadoo. On the last day of the transfer window, Chennaiyin FC announced that they had signed backStiven Mendoza. The season started with the team losing the first two games. Though the team managed to score points by winning at Goa and Mumbai, they lost another three games on the trot. By the third week of November, Chennaiyin were placed last in the league table. However, the team won four consecutive games to qualify for the playoffs, finishing at 3rd place in the regular season. They won the second season of the ISL by beatingFC Goa 3–2 in the finals.
For thethird season, ofIndian Super League, they retained six players:Mehrajuddin Wadoo,Jayesh Rane,Dhanachandra Singh,Jeje Lalpekhlua,Harmanjot Khabra,Thoi Singh andAbhishek Das.[16] Chennai signedJohn Arne Riise as the marquee player for the season. The season kicked off with a draw against Kolkata. Winning only three games through the season, the team finished in seventh place, just one point more than the last placedFC Goa. After a dismal season, it was announced on 6 March thatMarco Materazzi and Chennaiyin parted ways on mutual consent.[17][18]
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On 3 July 2017, the club announced the appointment of formerAston Villa ManagerJohn Gregory as the head coach for the 2017–18 season.[19][20] He took charge in September and the club traveled to Thailand for pre-season.[21] Chennaiyin lost Gregory's first league game as head coach on 19 November againstFC Goa.[22] The team won its next three matches againstNortheast United FC,FC Pune City andATK.Mumbai City FC brought Chennaiyin FC's winning run to an end with a battling 1–0 win at home inside the Mumbai Football Arena.[23] The blues then travelled to Sree Kanteerava Stadium, where they beatBengaluru FC 2–1 in a tightly contested match.[24] Chennaiyin FC were held to a 1–1 draw when they faced Kerala Blasters at home in their next game. In spite of the draw, The Blues went top of the table with 13 points after seven games.[25] The team went on to win the finals against Bangalore on their home ground and became the champions for the second time.[26] Chennaiyin FC finished as runner-ups in AIFF Super Cup 2019 where they lost toFC Goa 2–1. Following Indian Super League glory in 2017–18, Chennaiyin became the first Indian club, representing the ISL, to play in theAFC Cup, as they drew 0–0 withColombo FC inSri Lanka on 6 March 2019. A week later, they won the second leg 1–0 in Chennai to progress to the2019 AFC Cup group stage. Chennayin FC is the first ISL club to reach in Group stage of AFC Cup 2019 i.e. in Group E.[27] They played a tie of 0–0 toMinerva Punjab FC on 3 April 2019 and won 2–0 to Nepalese clubManang Marshyangdi Club on 17 April 2019 wherebyMaílson Alves andChris Herd were also accompanied by win againstAbahani Limited Dhaka by 1–0 and goal scorer wasAnirudh Thapa on 30 April 2019. On 19 June 2019 Chennaiyin FC faced a draw of 1–1 againstMinerva Punjab F.C. whereMohammed Rafi secured a goal in the last minute of game. OnJohn Gregory's 65th birthday the club announced that the coach'scontract was renewed which will expire soon after the2019–20 Indian Super League season. After losing theAFC Cup the club then made some shocking decisions by releasing their captain,Mailson Alves andRaphael Augusto as a preparation for the2019–20 Indian Super League season. They also released some of the Indian players in their team which includesC.K. Vineeth,Mohammed Rafi,Halicharan Narzary,Isaac Vanmalsawma. They then signedNerijus Valskis,Lucian Goian,Dragoș Firțulescu,André Schembri,Masih Saighani andRafael Crivellaro to strengthen their squad. On 30 November 2019 John Gregory resigned from his post as head coach even though owner Mrs. Vita Dani tried in vain to get him to stay. Under his guidanceChennai won their secondIndian Super League trophy.
Owen took the charge of the club on 4 December 2019.[28] Under his guidance Chennaiyin faced 1–1 draw againstJamshedpur, won 3–1 againstKerala Blasters and lost a dramatic game 4–3 toGoa in the initial days of Coyle.[29][30][31] They lost toOdisha on 6 January 2020 and won a game againstHyderabad by 3–1.[32][33]
The Coyle era catapulted Chennaiyin FC to 4th from Bottom of the table (9th), thus earning them qualification for the playoffs.[34] He went on to guide Chennaiyin FC to the2020 ISL final after beatingFC Goa 6–5 on aggregate over the two legs of thesemifinals.[35][36]
Chennaiyin were beaten 3–1 byATK with the game played behind closed doors, due to the rise of theCOVID-19 pandemic in India.[37]Nerijus Valskis, who scored in the final for Chennaiyin, topped golden boot tally consequently, he was awarded ISL golden boot.[38]
Csaba László took the charge of the club on 30 August 2020. He had an average season with three wins and 11 draws. On April 10, 2021, he parted ways with the club.[39]
Chennaiyin FC appointed Bozidar Bandovic as their manager for the2021–22 season following the 0–5 defeat to FC Goa - the heaviest loss endured by the club in its history, the club said in a statement. "Bandovic was in charge of the first team for 16 matches - winning five, drawing four and losing seven. The team's assistant coach Syed Sabir Pasha will take over in the interim. Over the years, we've lost and won. But as a club, losing like this is something we cannot stand by and watch. And for now, we have full confidence in Sabir to see the season through," co-owner Vita Dani stated.[40]
Chennaiyin FC play their home matches at theJawaharlal Nehru Stadium inChennai nicknamed theMarina Arena. The stadium is located at Sydenhams Road, Park Town behind theChennai Central suburban Railway station andRipon Building. The stadium is named afterJawaharlal Nehru,India's firstPrime Minister and earlier hostedcricketTest Matches between 1956 and 1965.[41]
Chennaiyin has a considerable fan base with an average attendance of over 20,000 over the first three seasons.[42][43]
Chennaiyin FC is one of the very few clubs in India to have multiple active fan groups. The B Stand Blues (BSB) and the Supermachans are the two fan groups of Chennaiyin FC. Both the fan groups are very famous among the Indian football scenario and they are constantly active on and off the season. Their support to the team is so dedicated and they also carry out CSR activities.
Both these fan groups have worked so hard to spread the football fan culture in the state.They even travel to some away games to extend their support to the club.The most famous away trip is the 2017-18 ISL finals against Bengaluru FC, where there were hundreds of fans from both fan clubs despite the game happening in a different state. Both fan clubs ended up conquering the stands of Kanteerava when their club had conquered it on the field.
Opponents generally find the Chennaiyin crowd intimidating. Indian captain Sunil Chhetri himself has acknowledged this fact, as he's usually been on the receiving end when he travels to the Marina Arena in BFC colours.In addition to this, Chennaiyin also has a huge fan following all over the state of Tamil Nadu. Their social media following is among the top in Indian clubs.
Since Chennaiyin FC,Bengaluru FC andKerala Blasters FC are dominant clubs from South India, the rivalry between these clubs' fans are visible both on ground and on various social platforms. The matches between the clubs create sparks among the clubs and especially the fans. The meetings between the three teams are known as the South Indian Derby.[44]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Back sponsor | Chest sponsor | Sleeve sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | TYKA[45] | Ozone Group[46] | Reliance Digital | - | |
| 2015-16 | Haier[47] | Volvo | |||
| 2016-17 | Puma[48] | TVS Tyres | Himalaya Men | Lloyd | |
| 2017-18 | Performax | Apollo Tyres[49] | Jio | Nippon Paint[50] | |
| 2018-19 | Gyproc | ||||
| 2019-20 | DafaNews[51] | SSVM | |||
| 2020-21 | Acko[52] | ||||
| 2021-22 | Nivia[53] | BatBall11 | |||
| 2022-23 | Parimatch News | Dream11 | |||
| 2023-24 | MelBat | Polyhose | NueGo | ||
| 2024-25 | SIX5SIX | Ramraj Cotton | Refex | ||
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
| Role | Name | Refs. |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach |  Owen Coyle | [56] |
| Assistant coach | Sandy Stewart | |
 Noel Wilson | ||
| Goalkeeping coach | Rajath Guha | |
| Sports scientist | Arpan Chanda |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Team Doctor | Vignesh Moorthy |
| Head Physiotherapist | Dileep Kumar |
| Masseur | Raju Salave
|
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Team manager | Shantanu Banerjee |
| Head of football operations | Pratham Basu |
| Kit manager | Parthiban Manogar |
| Youth team manager | Senthil Kumaran |
| Reserve and Academy coach | Santosh Kashyap[57] |
Board of directors
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Co-owners | MS DhoniAbhishek Bachchan Vita Dani[58] |
Here is the list of top goalscorers across all competitions.
| Rank | Player Name | Matches | Goals | Jeje | 77 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |  Stiven Mendoza | 25 | 17 | |||
| 4 |  Nerijus Valskis | 31 | 17 | |||
| 5 | Lallianzuala Chhangte | 53 | 12 | |||
| 6 |  Elano Blumer | 26 | 12 | |||
| 7 | Anirudh Thapa | 102 | 8 | |||
| 8 | Maílson Alves | 57 | 8 | |||
| 9 | Rafael Crivellaro | 27 | 8 | |||
| 10 | Raphael Augusto | 69 | 7 | |||
| 11 | Bruno Pelissari | 25 | 7 | |||
| 12 |  Bernard Mendy | 39 | 5 | |||
| 13 | Mohammed Rafi | 21 | 5 | |||
| 14 |  André Schembri | 18 | 5 | |||
| 15 |  Dudu Omagbemi | 13 | 5 | |||
| 16 | Thoi Singh | 84 | 4 | |||
| 17 |  Iñigo Calderón | 32 | 4 | |||
| 18 | CK Vineeth | 18 | 4 | |||
| 19 |  Esmaël Gonçalves | 16 | 4 | |||
| 20 | Rahim Ali | 85 | 14 | |||
| 21 | Eli Sabia | 79 | 3 | |||
| 22 |  Gregory Nelson | 38 | 3 | |||
| 23 | Dhanachandra Singh | 30 | 3 | |||
| 24 |  Davide Succi | 13 | 3 | |||
| 25 |  Vladimir Koman | 11 | 3 | |||
| 26 | Dhanpal Ganesh | 43 | 2 | |||
| 27 |  Mirlan Murzayev | 19 | 2 |
In Bold: Players currently playing for Chennaiyin FC
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 246 |  Solomon Warriors | 1,255 |
| 247 | Mumbai FC | 1,255 |
| 248 | Chennaiyin | 1,254 |
| 249 | Kerala Blasters | 1,254 |
| 250 |  Al-Ain FC | 1,254 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | AFC Cup | Play-off round |  Colombo | 1–0[60] | 0–0[61] | 1–0 |
| Group E | Minerva Punjab | 0–0 | 1–1 | Group Stage: 2nd Knockout Stage: DNQ | ||
 Manang Marshyangdi Club | 2–0 | 2–3 | ||||
 Abahani Limited Dhaka | 1–0 | 3–2 |
The organizers of ISL introduced eISL, aFIFA video game tournament, for the ISL playing clubs, each represented by two players. Chennaiyin FC hosted a series of qualifying games for all the participants wanting to represent the club in eISL. On 20 November the club announced the signing of the two players. They won the inaugural eISL on 20 March 2022, following2022 Indian Super League Final.
| Channaiyin FC eSportsFIFA roster | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||
|
| |||||||||
Legend:
| Latest roster transaction: 19 November 2021. | |||||||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
