Seriton Fernandes to extend stay at FC Goa 

FC Goa (FCG) are all set to hand a two-year extension to right-back Seriton Fernandes following the expiration of his previous three-year contract with the club on May 31, 2022, Sportskeeda has reliably learned.

It will be a massive boost to the Gaurs’ hopes of staging a turnaround after an underwhelming 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) season saw them finish ninth with just four wins from twenty league matches.

A mainstay in FCG’s first team for the past five years, Seriton is currently one of India’s finest full-backs. His consistent showing on the domestic circuit helped him earn his maiden India call-up in August last year. On September 2, 2021, he made his international debut against Nepal in a friendly at Kathmandu’s Dasharath Stadium, having come on as a substitute for Akash Mishra in the second-half.

The Dempo youth product made his foray into senior football with a stint at the Churchill Brothers followed by a loan spell at Sporting Clube de Goa between 2015 and 2016. FCG then picked him up in the seventh round of the 2017 ISL Players Draft and the 29-year-old hasn’t looked back since, making 95 ISL appearances and adding local flavour to an already formidable squad.

Blessed with great stamina, Seriton’s versatility made him a valuable asset for former FCG head coaches Sergio Lobera and Juan Ferrando, who helped him hone his skills considerably. His quick transition from defense to attack and passing game has been crucial to the Gaurs’ attacking style of play.

Besides registering 346 tackles, 104 interceptions, 232 clearances and 105 blocks in his ISL career, the lad from Goa also boasts a 78.81 percent passing accuracy with a whopping 3,663 passes to his name.

Seriton is chuffed at the prospect of reuniting with FCG’s newly-appointed head coach and former defender Carlos Pena, with whom he forged a solid combination in 42 matches between 2018 and 2020.

In his glittering five-year-long association with the Gaurs, Seriton has helped the club clinch three trophies – the 2019 Super Cup, the 2019-20 ISL League Winners Shield and the 2021 Durand Cup. He was also a vital member of the FC Goa team who became the first Indian outfit to compete in the group stages of the AFC Champions League last year.

It’s indeed surprising that despite his steady progress, Seriton has been omitted from Igor Stimac’s Indian squad for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers starting on Wednesday (8 June) in Kolkata. No wonder questions are raised on the Croat’s team selection time and again.