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Here is all you need to know about Chennaiyin FC…
Kabaddi represents Tamil Nadu as its official state sport. Very rightly so because it is one of the oldest games in the world which originated in somewhere in the modern-day Tamil Nadu region.
Along with carrying a legacy with its name, Kabaddi has allowed many other games to prosper across the state. Now, with the season of Indian Super League setting in, it becomes imperative to talk about football and very specifically about Chennaiyin FC, the team that represents the Chennai franchise.
History of Chennaiyin FC
Chennaiyin FC is one of the many clubs competing in the ISL since its inception in 2014. The journey of the team has been quite remarkable in the sense that they have added two ISL titles to their name. The franchise is jointly owned by Vita Dani (Chairperson, 11Even Sports), Abhishek Bachchan (Bollywood Actor) and MS Dhoni (Indian Cricket Superstar).
Logo: Chennaiyin FC
The team’s logo has been inspired by Drishti Bommai, which chases away negativity and helps preserve positivity. The symbol may not be uncommon to many as it is often seen at door entrances across India.
Home Ground of Chennaiyin FC
Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is also known as the ‘Marina Arena’ is the team’s fortress for its home matches. It was built in 1993 in a record span of 260 days. It has a seating capacity of 40,000.
Chennaiyin FC Players 2019
The first drafts
Marco Materazzi, a former Italian football legend, was signed as the head coach for the season
Elano Blumer, a former Brazilian footballer, was roped in as the marquee player for the team.
-- Advertisement --A vivid football follower may remember that Materazzi was at the receiving end of the infamous Zidane’s headbutt in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Chennaiyin FC: Journey through the seasons
Season 1
In their opening match against FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC scored a 2-1 victory. What made the victory special was the fact that one of the Chennaiyin’s goals were scored by Balwant Singh. He became the first Indian to score a goal in the tournament.
A few days from the start, the club brought Alessandro Nesta, who until then was in the pink of his retirement life. Nesta was a part of the Italian football team which won the FIFA 2006 World Cup.
The team had a successful run in the tournament. It qualified for the semi-finals and met Kerala Blasters FC in the penultimate stage of the tournament.
The first leg of the semi-final was played in the Kerala Blasters FC’s fortress. The home team was ruthless in its attack and went on to win the game 3-0.
In the second leg, which was played at the Chennaiyin’s fortress, the home team managed to win the game with a score of 3-1. But Chennaiyin’s dream of lifting the ISL Cup was crashed as an aggregate score of 3-4 against Blasters dented their further journey.
At the end of the tournament, Chennaiyin FC stood first in the points table with 6 wins, and 5 draws in 14 games.
Season 2
There were no changes as for the coach and marquee player in the squad. Chennaiyin’s start to the season was not so impressive as the team lost its opening two games. But in their third game against FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC came back with a 4-0 victory.
Post victory over FC Goa, the team lost three games on a trot. By the end of the third week of November, the team was placed at the bottom of the points table. Might be Materaazi’s words, the team then went on to win four consecutive games and earned themselves a place in the final four.
The team met defending Champions ATK in the semi-final. Chennaiyin won the first leg of the semi-final with a 3-0 score reading. Although, ATK managed to win the second leg with a 2-1 score, Chennaiyin FC qualified for the finals on a 4-2 aggregate over ATK.
The team met FC Goa in the grand finals. Even though the match was played in the fortress of FC Goa, the Chennaiyin managed to beat them with a 3-2 score reading and hence, clinched their maiden ISL title.
Season 3
While Materazzi continued to be the head coach of the Chennaiyin FC, John Riise, a Norwegian footballer and Liverpool legend, was signed as the marquee player for the season.
If one may have expected the same dominance form the team as in the previous season, the team completely ruined it. It turned out to be a disastrous season for the team as it managed to win only 3 games and draw 6 out of the 14 games.
Season 4
John Gregory, former Aston Villa manager, was appointed as the head coach for the 2017-18 season. The team relived its season 2 glory by lifting the ISL title once again for the second time.
As for its standing in the points table, the team ended up second on the list behind Bengaluru FC.
In the semi-finals, the team met FC Goa in their fortress. Chennaiyin FC managed to hold the home team for a 1-1 draw. Thus, the home advantage to FC Goa was negotiated by the team.
In the second leg, the Chennaiyin FC thrashed FC Goa 3-0 at Chennai. Thus, the team qualified for the final on a 4-1 aggregate.
With Bengaluru FC, the debutants for the season playing in their fortress, Chennaiyin FC had to put through a lot of efforts to conquer the title. The team took the tile with a 3-2 victory over the home team. In doing so, Chennaiyin FC became the second team in the history of ISL to win the title for more than one time. ATK happens to be the first team in that list.
Season 5
The jinx of season 3 repeated yet again. With a successful previous season, the Chennaiyin ended up at the last position in the points table. In 18 games, the team barely managed to win 2 games and draw 3 games.
#Throwback to this thriller at ? vs ATK in the 2017-18 season where @jejefanai brought out his ™ sniper celebration ?
What's your favourite Jeje goal? Tell us below ??#PoduMachiGoalu #ChennaiyinFC #NammaPetta pic.twitter.com/pZsflBBqvD
— Chennaiyin FC ?? (@ChennaiyinFC) October 12, 2019
Season 6
The team is set to kick off its campaign against FC Goa on 23rd October, 2019.
Coach
John Gregory continues to be the coach of Chennaiyin FC for the upcoming ISL season. The team is desperate to rectify the horrible failure of last season.
“We made a lot of mistakes on and off the field. Maybe we didn’t work as hard as we did during our winning run in season-4. I don’t see it (last season’s performance) as a failure, I look at it as a lesson. Now, generally, there is a much better feeling around the camp”
-Gregory in his recent interaction with reporters
Stats: Chennaiyin FC
Season 1 (2014)
| Matches Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | Position in Points Table |
| 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 23 | 1 |
Elano was the top scorer for the team as well as top scorer of the tournament.
Final result: Semi-finalist
Season 2 (2015)
| Matches Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | Position in Points Table |
| 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 22 | 3 |
Steven Mendoza was the top scorer for the team as well as top scorer of the tournament
Final Result: Champions
Season 3 (2016)
| Matches Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | Position in Points Table |
| 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 7 |
Dudu Omagbemi was the top scorer for the team (5 goals)
Raphael Augusto had the highest assists for the Chennaiyin FC which apparently were the highest assists for the tournament (8 assists)
Season 4 (2017-18)
| Matches Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | Position in Points Table |
| 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 32 | 2 |
Gregory Nelson had the highest assists for the team (5 assists)
Final result: Champions
Season 5(2018-19)
| Matches Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | Position in Points Table |
| 18 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 10 |
Final result: Ended up at the bottom of the table
Sponsors and partners of Chennaiyin FC
| Apollo Tyres | Principal Sponsor |
| Perfomax (Activewear) | Associate Sponsor and Official Kitting Partner |
| Nippon Paint | Associate Sponsor |
| CSS (Centre for Sports Science) | Associate Sponsor and Official Sports Medicine and Performance Partner |
| Accort Hotels and Resorts | Official Matchday Hospitality Partner |
| Zebronics | Official Audio Partner |
| Naturals | Official Grooming Partner |
| His Studio | Official Bespoke tailoring Partner |
| ACT | Official Fibernet Partner |
| GBR TMT | Official partner |
| Radio One Chennai | Official Tamil Radio Partner |
| Workafella | Official Workspace Partner |
| Express Avenue | Official Mall Partner |
| Fever 91.9 FM | Official Bollywood Radio Partner |
Chennaiyin FC Schedule 2019
Here’s the complete schedule for Chennaiyin FC (all matches held at 7:30 pm (IST))
23 October: Goa Vs Chennaiyin
27 October: Chennaiyin Vs Mumbai
30 October: Chennaiyin Vs ATK
10 November: Bengaluru Vs Chennaiyin
25 November: Chennaiyin Vs Hyderabad
28 November: Chennaiyin Vs Odisha
06 December: Jamshedpur Vs Chennaiyin
12 December: NorthEast United Vs Chennaiyin
20 December: Chennaiyin Vs Kerala Blasters
26 December: Chennaiyin Vs Goa
06 January: Odisha Vs Chennaiyin
10 January: Hyderabad Vs Chennaiyin
16 January: Chennaiyin Vs NorthEast
23 January: Chennaiyin Vs Jamshedpur
01 February: Kerala Blasters Vs Chennaiyin
07 February: Chennaiyin Vs Bengaluru
16 February: ATK Vs Chennaiyin
21 February: Mumbai City Vs Chennaiyin
