7 FC Goa players depart upon the expiry of their contracts

As many as seven FC Goa players have departed upon the expiry of their contracts on May 31, 2024, as officially confirmed by the club. Brandon Fernandes, Noah Sadaoui, Carlos Martinez, Victor Rodriguez, Dheeraj Singh, Sanson Pereira, and Saviour Gama are those who have left the Gaurs.

Among these players, the notable exit is that of captain Brandon Fernandes who made immense contributions to the club ever since joining them as a 22-year-old back in July 2017. Apart from being a major part of their 2019 Indian Super Cup, 2019-20 ISL Shield and the 2021 Durand Cup title-winning squads, the local boy scored 17 goals and also registered 31 assists in 130 appearances for the Gaurs. He will be turning out for Mumbai City FC in the upcoming season.

Expressing gratitude to the departing players for their valuable contributions, the club released an official statement which read:

"The Gaurs bid adieu to Brandon Fernandes, Noah Sadaoui, Carlos Martinez, Victor Rodriguez, Dheeraj Singh, Sanson Pereira and Saviour Gama, all of who have been integral parts of the team across the past few seasons but have now chosen to continue their respective footballing journeys on a different pathway. Everyone at the Club wishes to place on record their thanks and gratitude to each of our departing Gaurs. We further wish them all the best for their future endeavours."

FC Goa endured a trophyless 2023-24 ISL campaign

In his very first season in charge of FC Goa, head coach Manolo Marquez guided them to an unblemished record upon the completion of the first-leg matches of the 2023-24 ISL. Despite remaining unbeaten until the league restarted, they failed to secure a silverware having lost their winning momentum in some of the crucial fixtures towards the latter stages of the ISL season.

With 45 points from 22 matches, FC Goa finished third in the points table - three points behind the Shield Winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant, thereby qualifying for the playoffs. They defeated Chennaiyin FC 2-1 at home in Fatorda during the playoff knockout encounter and made it to the semifinals where they lost against Mumbai City FC by a 5-2 margin (aggregate) over the two-legged fixtures.