Churchill’s Dimitriou named Best Coach of I-League

Panaji: Dimitris Dimitriou has been adjudged as the best coach of this season’s I-League after he guided Churchill Brothers FC to the top of the league table.
Dimitriou, 55, arrived at Churchill after a troubled stint at TRAU where he did well but was forced to part ways after falling out with the management. This season, with last season’s coach Francesc Bonet unable to return to India due to “immigration issues”, Churchill handed charge to the Cyprus coach.
Churchill finished top with a point on the final matchday against Inter Kashi. However, Inter Kashi, who finished second, has appealed the AIFF’s decision to declare Churchill as the champions before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Varanasi-based side can finish on top, if they get the three points that were taken away by the AIFF appeals committee.
“Our focus was always on the title,” the coach said after Churchill finished ahead of Inter Kashi by a point. “Every point that we have won is through the blood and sweat of the players. They deserve to be champions.”
Meanwhile, Churchill’s Pape Gassama was named Best Midfielder. The Senegalese had six goals and an assist in 21 appearances for the club.
Prolific striker David Castaneda of Sreenidi Deccan FC was named the Best Player of the I-League. Even though Sreenidi finished the league in ninth place, Castaneda netted 17 goals across 22 matches to top the chart.
Another Goan side, Dempo SC, bagged the Fair Play Award. The five-time national champions finished a respectable seventh. They were second in the table after the first five rounds but injuries and late signings hampered their prospects.
In the Indian Women’s League (IWL), Gokulam Kerala FC’s Fazila Ikwaput was the top scorer for the second season in a row and won the Best Striker award. Fazila hammered in 24 goals as the Kerala side finished second in the standings with 29 points from 14 matches behind table-toppers East Bengal (37 points).
Awards:
I-League 2024-25: Best Player and Highest Scorer: David Castaneda (Sreenidi Deccan); Syed Abdul Rahim Award for Best Coach: Dimitris Dimitriou (Churchill Brothers); Best Midfielder: Pape Gassama (Churchill); Jarnail Singh Award for Best Defender: Daniel Goncalves (Shillong Lajong); Best Goalkeeper: Jaspreet Singh (Namdhari); Best Emerging Player: Hridaya Jain (Delhi); Fair Play Award: Dempo; Best Match Organisation: Gokulam Kerala; Best Media Activities: Rajasthan United.
IWL 2024-25: Best Striker: Fazila Ikwaput (Gokulam Kerala); Best Goalkeeper: Elangbam Panthoi Chanu (East Bengal); Best Defender: Purnima Kumari (Sethu FC); Best Midfielder: Hemam Shilky Devi (Gokulam Kerala); Best Match Organisation: Gokulam Kerala; Best Media Activities: East Bengal FC.