Mumbai City FC have officially announced that their head coach Petr Kratky will be staying at the club until 2026, extending his contract for one more season. The former Melbourne City manager took over the club in the middle of 2023 when Des Buckhingham left the club.
And under him, the team achieved their highest ever points total in the ISL (47), while also winning the ISL Cup to end the season on a high. They could have also won the ISL league, having gone on a nine-match unbeaten run before their loss to Mohun Bagan SG in the final game of the season. But, made amends for the defeat in the playoffs.
Petr Kratky extends contract with Mumbai City FC till 2026
๐ฃ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐ โ๐
— Mumbai City FC (@MumbaiCityFC) May 10, 2024
We are delighted to announce that Head Coach Petr Kratkyโs contract has been extended by a year, till the end of the 2025/26 season ๐คฉ๐ฉต#PetrExtends #MumbaiCity #AamchiCity ๐ต @PetrKratky
โMy first season with Mumbai City FC has been fantastic, the team and the whole squad is full of ambitious people, who stick together no matter what happens. It was of course great to finish the season with the ISL Cup, and next season we will come back and look to be stronger, and more consistent in all our processes. There is some great footballing talent in India, and I am delighted at the chance to continue to work with them,โ Petr Kratky told Mumbai City FC’s official website.
The Czechian manager will now oversee his first transfer window as manager of the club, and has already made some bold calls. Thaer Krouma, Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Alberto Noguera, Mohammad Nawaz and Rahul Bheke have left the club, and the club has signed Noufal PN alongside Brandon Fernandes.
Elite Mentality from Mumbai City FC's Czech coach Petr Kratky as he aims to win the #ISL again by only prioritizing the development of Indian players! ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฉต #IndianFootball #MCFC pic.twitter.com/p3rnPSEXzG
— IFTWC – Indian Football (@IFTWC) May 5, 2024
Kratky has also commented on how he wants to keep the Mumbai City FC squad predominantly Indian, putting his trust in the local talent. And as a result, there have been rumours of Yoell Van Nieff being the only foreigner that the club will retain for the coming season.
If that is truly the case at the end of the transfer window, then there will be a lot of calls for Kratky to eventually take over as the manager of the Indian national team considering his commitment to developing Indian footballers at the club level, where success is paramount.
