FC Goa Appoints Gouramangi Singh as Head Coach

FC Goa Appoints Gouramangi Singh as Head Coach

Goa, India — FC Goa today announced the appointment of Gouramangi Singh as the Club’s new Head Coach. Singh joined FC Goa as Assistant Coach in July 2022 and is promoted after four years on the coaching staff, including the past three seasons as an integral member of Manolo Márquez’s staff, where he contributed to the team’s playing identity and to key technical and strategic decisions. The Club describes the decision as the result of four years of growing responsibility, and of trust built at every level of the football club.

Gouramangi has led the first team on an interim basis on multiple occasions, including during periods when Márquez was away on national team duty, showing composure, clarity and authority in high-pressure moments. In the closing stages of the 2025 Bandodkar Memorial Trophy, he guided FC Goa to the title in that capacity. His influence extends beyond tactics: players across the squad, particularly the Club’s younger footballers, look to him for guidance and mentorship.

FC Goa says the appointment continues the direction it built under Márquez rather than starting a new one, citing Gouramangi’s role in helping establish the playing identity, standards and culture that have defined the Club over the past three seasons. The Club says this continuity of ideas, relationships and leadership is intended to support the project as it enters a new cycle, rather than to preserve the current one unchanged. Since the inception of the Indian Super League, FC Goa has appointed fewer Head Coaches than any other club in the competition. Gouramangi’s promotion reflects the same approach that has guided its previous appointments: identifying candidates from within, and backing them with time and support. The club’s broader ambition is unchanged — to compete for trophies, develop players, and continue building one of Indian football’s most established sporting projects.

Gouramangi will be joined on the first-team staff by Assistant Coach Shameel Chembakath, Strength & Conditioning Coach Chelston Pinto and Goalkeeping Coach Sugitesh Mandrekar — a group the Club says brings a mix of domestic experience, player development expertise and continuity with its long-term football philosophy.

Chembakath joins after coaching experience in the ISL and with Reliance Foundation Young Champs, one of the country’s leading youth development programmes, having worked extensively with young players and, separately, within elite first-team football. Pinto joins as Strength & Conditioning Coach following spells with the Indian National Team and Kerala Blasters FC, where he worked on physical preparation and performance for elite athletes; he is widely regarded within Indian football for that expertise. Mandrekar is promoted to the first-team staff after more than a decade with FC Goa’s youth and developmental teams, where he played an instrumental role in developing goalkeepers; the Club describes the promotion as recognition of his consistency and understanding of FC Goa’s football philosophy.

FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur said:

“When we began the process of identifying our next Head Coach, we weren’t looking for the biggest name or the easiest appointment. We were looking for the person best equipped to lead FC Goa’s next chapter, and Gouramangi’s work over the past four years convinced us that person was already here. Over the last four seasons, he has earned the respect of everyone at this football club through his knowledge, professionalism, humility and leadership, while playing a significant role in developing many of our younger players. His appointment is recognition of the impact he has already made, and of what we believe he is capable of achieving as Head Coach.

One of FC Goa’s greatest strengths has always been stability. We don’t change direction because circumstances change. We identify people who align with our vision, invest in them and back them with conviction. Gouramangi embodies everything we value as a football club, and we have complete confidence that he will lead FC Goa forward with ambition, courage and clarity.”

Singh said:

Gouramangi Singh, Head Coach, FC Goa, said:

“It is an absolute honour to be entrusted with this responsibility. FC Goa has been home for me over the past few years, and I am grateful to the Club for the faith it has shown in me. We have a talented group of players, a committed staff and passionate supporters. Together, we will work tirelessly to make everyone associated with FC Goa proud.”

Singh’s first assignment as Head Coach comes in the preliminary round of the AFC Champions League 2, away to Arkadag FK in Turkmenistan, on 12 August. It is FC Goa’s second consecutive continental campaign, following last season’s AIFF Super Cup triumph.