Kerala could face ATK fury after suspension of Habas, Fikru

And Kerala Blasters Fc may just have to face this fury when they take on the Indian Super League table toppers on Sunday at the Salt Lake Stadium.   

The ISL on Saturday slapped the AIFF Disciplinary Code Article 58 suspending Fikru Teferra for two matches and ATK marquee manager Habas for four matches in the aftermath of ATK’s tempestuous clash against Goa FC.

ATK’s goalkeeping coach Predipkumar Bhaktawer was suspended for one match.

A team source said, “The ban will have a positive effect on the team. They are feeling cheated. This will motivate them to play better and with greater intensity.”

Echoing the sentiments, team’s ace defender Jose Miguel Gonzalez Rey said: “The most important thing is to forget what happened in the last game. We are now ready for three points. The last game is past. The focus is tomorrow." 

The UEFA Champions League winner for Liverpool told reporters: “No problem. The coach is not going to play. Its players who would play on the field and we all are together and ready. Football is very high intensity game. It's normal; its football, some players fight. But we respect all the teams. We have to continue with the life and the game, that's most important.”

However, its not good news for ATK with Biswajit Saha taking a knock on his head in the last match, while Denzil Franco and skipper Luis Garcia still nursing injuries. But the support staff is confident that ATK will be at the top of their game with the resources available.

Sanju Pradhan, another important member of the ATK side, added: “We are motivated and inspired. We hope to keep up our level of commitment. Whoever leads the team from the dugout will be carrying our manager’s plan. So its not going to be a problem.”

In contrast Kerala Blasters FC will be playing all out to earn their first points in the tournament. On the road for the third game in a row, Trevor James Morgan’s boys arrived here 5 days back and played a practice match here. Morgan made it clear that the team had enough rest and were fresh though they were on the road.

The fact that Morgan coached East Bengal and played several ties, including derbies, here gives him the insider’s knowledge of the ground. “We are on the wrong side of the stats table. We have not been scoring. We have not taken the opportunities that we have created. The team has a rhythm and just needs to strike,” Morgan said.

Asked if the suspensions and injuries in the ATK squad will help them, Morgan said: “They are a very good side and deserve to be the league toppers, They have showed they can come back from behind and score. They also have 5 different scorers in the side. So they are a formidable opposition with or without their Manager and Fikru.”

Mehtab Hossain added: “We have very good understanding in the team. We just need to be more creative in the final third. I hope it will happen tomorrow.” Though he admitted that it would be a strange thing for him to play as an away team player in Salt Lake Stadium, a place where he has plyed his trade as a home team player for most part of his playing career.