Chennaiyin FC

History

When the Indian Super League was founded in 2014, the city of Chennai was one of the nine proposed cities up for franchise bidding. However, on 11 April 2014 it was reported that Chennai's main bidder, a consortium led by Sunil Gavaskar would drop out due to commitments with the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Then, in August 2014, with two months before the 2014 ISL season, the Bangalore owners Sun Group dropped out due to disputes with the organizers. Initially reports came out that the ISL organizers were looking for bidders for new owners for the Bangalore franchise before it was revealed that Ronnie Screwvala and actor Abhishek Bachchan would together bid for a Chennai team instead of a Bangalore franchise. Then, on 14 August 2014, it was reported that ISL officials were inspecting the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai for the proposed team.

Finally, the team was bid for by actor Abhishek Bachchan & Vita Dani, belonging to the Asian Paints family, who eventually became the co-owners of the team. On 12 September 2014, Italian World Cup winner Marco Materazzi was hired as player-manager. Then, on 6 October 2014, the Indian cricket captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the joint co-owner of the club along with Vita Dani & Abhishek Bachchan. The club officially launched their jersey in the presence of co-owners Abhishek Bachchan and Vita Dani at a press conference on 9 October 2014. They also announced that Ozone Group, a prominent real estate developer, would be their principal sponsor for the season.

Stadium

Chennayin FC play their home matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai nicknamed the Marina Arena. It is a multipurpose stadium and has a capacity of 38,000. It hosts football, and athletic competitions. The stadium is located at Sydenhams Road, Park Town behind the Chennai Central suburban Railway station and Ripon Building. The stadium is named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister and earlier hosted cricket Test Matches between 1956 and 1965.

Support

The sports fans of Chennai have been prominently labeled as the 'Knowledgeable Chennai crowd' for some incredible sporting behaviors in the recent past. Chennayin FC has managed to consistently pull in crowds averaging around 22,000 every season, the 3rd highest in the league. The supporters of the club are nicknamed as 'SuperMachans'.

The B Stand Blues and Chennaiyin FC Fans Official- The Supermachans are the club's vocal support at the Marina Arena. They also voice their support outside the stadium through flash mobs and fan anthems The fan club has been acknowledged by the players on several occasions both on and off the pitch, and also by their owner, Abhishek Bachchan

2014 season

On 15 October 2014, Chennaiyin won their first Indian Super League fixture with a 2–1 victory at FC Goa. The goals were scored by Balwant Singh, who became the first Indian player to score in the competition, and the former Brazil international Elano, who was the first marquee player to score. On 28 November 2014, the club brought Alessandro Nesta, who won the World Cup for Italy alongside Materazzi, out of retirement. 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 to Kerala Blasters. In the second leg on 16 December 2014 they managed to overturn the deficit by leading 3-0 in regular time. However, in extra time a 117th-minute goal by Stephen Pearson sent Kerala through to the finals.

2015 season

For the second season of Indian Super League, they managed to retain six players namely, Balwant Singh, Jayesh Rane, Dhanachandra Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Harmanjot Khabra and Abhishek Das. They also signed Godwin Franco and Mehrajuddin Wadoo. They were last in November, but made a comeback with six consecutive victories. They won the second season of the ISL by beating FC Goa 3-2 in the finals.

2016 season

For the third season of Indian Super League, they managed to retain six players namely, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Jayesh Rane, Dhanachandra Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Harmanjot Khabra, Thoi Singh and Abhishek Das.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Seasons

Head Coach's Record