Chennaiyin FC appoint Raman Vijayan as assistant coach

Chennai, March 17 (IANS) Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Chennaiyin FC on Friday appointed former India striker Raman Vijayan as assistant coach of the first team.

The 49-year-old from Tamil Nadu, who has a wealth of experience, replaced Syed Sabir Pasha in the role. Vijayan will work in tandem with head coach Thomas Brdaric and the rest of the coaching staff.

"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," said Chennaiyin FC co-owner Vita Dani, in a media release.

Vijayan has also had experience in a similar role when he worked with Delhi Dynamos during the 2015-16 season of the Indian Super League. He also had managerial roles with two local outfits -- Chennai FC, Chennai United and also South United from Bengaluru.

"I'm so happy to be part of the Chennaiyin family. Being a local player myself, it is a big honour to work with CFC," said Vijayan on his new role.

"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," he added.

Besides making 30 international appearances, Vijayan also represented some of the country's top clubs, including East Bengal, Mohammedan SC, Dempo SC, FC Cochin and Mahindra United during his illustrious professional career before making a successful transition to coaching.

In the National Football League's (rebranded as the I-League in 2007) eleven-year existence, Vijayan was one of the only two top Indian goal scorers alongside Baichung Bhutia.

Chennaiyin FC are currently preparing for the Super Cup 2023, where they will begin their campaign against NorthEast United in Kerala on April 11.