Mikael Stahre was named the new head coach of Kerala Blasters FC on Thursday. With an option to extend until 2026, the 48-year-old Swedish coach inked a two-year contract. Having managed more than 400 games in a variety of competitions, Stahre stated his enthusiasm about joining the group. Karolis Skinkys, the Sporting Director, emphasized Stahre’s leadership and expertise as crucial elements in his selection.
On Thursday, the Kerala Blasters Football Club announced the hiring of Mikael Stahre as their new head coach. The 48-year-old Swedish coach will be in charge of the squad until 2026 after agreeing to a two-year deal.
With prominent teams like AIK (Sweden), Panionios (Greece), IFK Göteborg (Sweden), Dalian Yifang (China), BK Häcken (Sweden), San Jose Earthquakes (USA), Sarpsborg 08 (Norway), and Uthai Thani (Thailand), Stahre has managed over 400 matches in his career.
Among his most notable accomplishments are having guided IFK Göteborg to the Svenska Cupen and AIK to the Swedish Allsvenskan championship, Svenska Cupen, and Supercupen.
Mikael Stahre enthusiastically expressed his excitement, saying: “I’m thrilled to be joining Kerala Blasters — a tremendous pleasure! After some extremely motivating & good meetings with the administration! Being able to pursue my coaching profession in Asia and see my third nation on this stunning continent makes me extremely proud. I’m excited to visit India shortly and get to know everyone. Along, let’s do some amazing things. “Go Blasters!”
Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys made the following statement on the appointment: “We hired the new coach in accordance with our procedure. To determine who best suited the post, a protracted marathon of interviews and talks was undertaken. Mikael is a fantastic candidate that satisfies all of our requirements for a coach and exudes drive and enthusiasm. He is a great leader with a wealth of expertise. Mikael is a welcome addition to the team, and I am excited about our future collaboration.”
Before taking over AIK in 2008, Stahre started his coaching career at Vasby United. In 2009, he guided the squad to both the Swedish Cup and the Swedish League Title. He briefly worked for Panionos in Greece before coming back to Sweden to coach IFK Göteborg, which he led to a Swedish Cup victory in 2014.
During his stay in China, Stahre guided Dalian Yifeng to third place in the country’s second level. Then, he became the coach of BK Hacken in Sweden, leading the team to a historic top-four finish after starting in 10th position. Stahre has also lived briefly in Thailand, Norway, and the United States.
Apart from his head coaching positions, Stahre has 14 years of youth coaching experience, having worked with AIK, Hammarby, and Gröndals between 1990 and 2005.
The Club has high hopes that his guidance will motivate the group to reach new heights and contend for championships in the next campaigns. At the beginning of the preseason, the new coach is anticipated to join the squad.
