KOLKATA: Antonio Lopez Habas, the longest serving coach in Indian Super League’s history, became on Saturday the first casualty of the tournament’s 2021-2022 season, with ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) announcing that the Spaniard has decided to step down as the team’s head coach.
The unexpected move from last year’s finalists came after the Habas-managed team was held 3-3 by struggling Bengaluru FC, thus extending its winless streak to four games.
“ATKMB has released Antonio Habas as the head coach for ATK Mohun Bagan. Manuel Cascallana, who is currently the assistant coach, will be the interim coach,” the city-based club said in a terse statement on Saturday.
It has been learnt that Habas expressed his desire to step down after the stalemate with Bengaluru FC and the ATK Mohun Bagan management stamped its approval on Saturday morning.
Sources in the ATKMB camp have indicated that the management has started the process of sounding out a few potential candidates, including one with the experience of managing an ISL side in the past, and it could settle on Habas’ successor soon.
