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Chennaiyin FC announced former Indian international Raman Vijayan as the assistant coach to the first team, in a club statement on March 17. The 49-year-old will replace Syed Sabir Pasha, who has been appointed as the technical director of the Indian national team.
Vijayan previously served in a similar capacity at the now-defunct Delhi Dynamos during the 2015-16 season of the Indian Super League (ISL).
The former striker from Tamil Nadu has also had managerial roles at Chennai FC, Chennai United, and South United from Bengaluru. His wealth of experience will allow him to complement the workings of head coach Thomas Brdaric and the rest of the coaching staff.
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As a player, Vijayan represented some of the country’s top clubs, including East Bengal, Mohammedan SC, Dempo SC, FC Cochin, and Mahindra United, along with making 30 international appearances for the nation.
Vijayan has worked in tandem with a lot of young talents and nurtured them over the years. Given Chennayin's squad composition, his ability will give the club a great boost ahead of the 2023-24 ISL season.
Commenting on his signing, club co-owner Vita Dani stated in a club statement:
“We are extremely pleased to have Raman Vijayan on board. His eye to spot and groom talent combined with his managerial experience will be of great value to CFC.”
“My vision is to have long-term goals" - Raman Vijayan on his new role at Chennaiyin FC
Raman Vijayan, given his connections with the state, was excited about his new role as the assistant coach.
In a club statement, the former national team strike averred:
“I’m so happy to be part of the Chennaiyin family. Being a local player myself, it is a big honor to work with CFC. My vision is to have long-term goals, especially on development at the grassroot level. It’s more important for me to build a strong set up for youth development and grassroot.
"Every year we should bring more talent and bring more players from our youth development program to the main team. That will be our big vision in the upcoming years. We will have a proper scouting and structure program to bring more local talents from Tamil Nadu,” Vijayan further added.
Chennaiyin FC finished eighth in the ISL 2022-23 league standings but impressed heavily in patches.
They are currently preparing for the Super Cup 2023 where they will begin their campaign against NorthEast United in Kerala on April 11.
