Churchill Brothers appoint Dimitris Dimitriou ahead of their historic ISL debut, with Israil Gurung as assistant coach.
Kolkata, September 12: Churchill Brothers is preparing to play their first-ever ISL, set to begin on 10th October; ahead of that, they have appointed new coach Dimitri Dimitriou. On August 14th, Churchill Brothers bought a stake in Jamshedpur FC for a token amount of 100 Indian rupees, as the Tata Group-led club was not financially stable enough to continue its run. Though the discontinuation of the club brutally exposed the situation of Indian football, it opened a golden opportunity for the Goan family-led club. Churchill Brothers had a profound history in Indian football; they won the I-League twice and nine other National Cups, along with three Durand Cups. Now, as the Indian Super League is all set to revamp with a new setup under club-led supervision, the top-tier league of the country will see another team from Goa take the field.
Who is Dimitris Dimitrou?
After securing the stakes of Jamshedpur FC, the club acquired the ISL license and also the contracts of 12 players and two coaches. In the 2024-25 season, Dimitris Dimitrou, a coach from Cyprus, managed the Churchill Brothers during an impressive stint. The UEFA Pro licence-holding coach has moved to Gokulam Kerala FC, as Churchill Brothers has to finish second behind Inter Kashi after losing two appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport CAS. In protest, they moved themselves out from the IFL 2025-26.
As reported by TOI, an insider at the club said that there were six coaches who applied for the job, but they only wanted Dimitris because he knew the club structure really well. During his 2024-25 stint at the club, Dimitriou successfully brought out the best in Churchill Brothers’ young players. The foreign recruits also impressed, with Colombian midfielder Sebastian Gutierrez among those who would welcome the coach’s return.
Dimitris Dimitriou began his managerial career with AEZ Zakakiou in 2016. In 2019, he joined I-League newcomers TRAU, guiding them from the relegation zone to third before leaving in January 2020. He later managed Podosfairikos Omilos Xylotymbou. In October 2024, Dimitriou took charge of Churchill Brothers and led them to the 2024–25 I-League title, earning the Syed Abdul Rahim Award for Best Coach. In March 2026, he joined Gokulam Kerala.
Israil Gurung will be the assistant coach
Churchill Brothers also welcomed their former long-serving player, Israil Gurung, to take up the assistant coach job. Gurung coached FC Goa’s development project for the last two seasons and made it to the Reliance Foundation Development League, reaching the semi-finals and finals. ISL will not be a new tournament for Israil, in the first season of the ISL, FC Pune City picked him, and he delivered some eye-catching performances.
Churchill Brothers joining the ISL is going to be a landmark in Goa’s history; from grassroots to India’s top-tier league, fans will be happy to see them fighting.
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