Kerala Blasters
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| Full name | Kerala Blasters Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Manjappada, |
| Short name | KBFC, KER |
| Founded | 27 May 2014 |
| Stadium | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi) |
| Capacity | 75,000 |
| Owner(s) |
Sachin Tendulkar Chiranjeevi Akkineni Nagarjuna Allu Aravind Nimmagadda Prasad |
| Head Coach | Steve Coppell |
| League | Indian Super League |
| 2016 | Regular season: 3rd Finals: Runners-up |
| Website | Club home page |
Kerala Blasters Football Club is an Indian professional football team based in Kochi, Kerala that competes in the Indian Super League. The team was founded on 27 May 2014 by former Indian cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar as one of the initial teams in the Indian Super League, after Tendulkar, along with Prasad V Potluri, won the rights to the Kochi franchise. Prasad V Potluri sold his shares to a consortium including Telugu actors Chiranjeevi and Akkineni Nagarjuna. The team's home stadium is currently the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
The Kerala Blasters played their inaugural match on 13 October 2014, losing 0–1 to NorthEast United at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium. The semi-final match between the Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin managed to draw 61,323 people to the ground, making it the second most attended game of the season, behind the inaugural ISL game between Atlético de Kolkata and Mumbai City
During their inaugural season, the Kerala Blasters managed to make it all the way to the ISL final where they faced Atlético de Kolkata at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. After ninety minutes of action, it was Atlético de Kolkata who came out as the 1–0 winners after Mohammed Rafique scored the winner in the 95th minute.
In early 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG–Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of the nine selected cities for the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL), a franchise tournament modelled along the lines of the Indian Premier League for cricket. On 13 April 2014 it was announced that the rights to the Kochi franchise were won by former India cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar and serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and educationalist Prasad V Potluri. Then, on 27 May 2014, the team's official name was unveiled as the 'Kerala Blasters FC' which is based on the nickname of co-owner Tendulkar, the "Master Blaster".
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