'Ambition': Punjab FC Head Coach Staikos Vergetis Looking Forward to ISL Season Following Promotion

Punjab FC became the first team to be promoted to the Indian Super League from the I-League as they triumphed in the league outing last season and have been boosted up to the top-flight competition as a result.

They became the first team to move up the chain ever since AIFF announced the alignment of the leagues and the follow-up promotion and relegation rules.

Punjab FC head coach Staikos Vergetis shared his thoughts on his side’s historic accomplishment.

“The first word that comes to mind is the word ‘Ambition’,” the Greek coach began.

“We have big ambitions and expectations for our participation in the first league of our country, India,”

“We fought a lot in all the games this previous year and deserve to be in the ISL division,” he said reflecting on his team’s performance in the I-League last season.

He also shared his thoughts on playing in the ISL in the upcoming campaign in the video clip shared by the recently promoted team on their social media handles.

“It is something that we have put a lot of effort into and we succeeded in earning participation in the top flight,” the 47-year-old opined.

“It is one achievement to enjoy. We want to be competitive and we are preparing for this big challenge we have in front of us,” the man from Greece concluded.

The Mohali-based team topped the I-League charts last season as they registered 52 points in the season, 10 ahead of their closest competitor Sreenidi Deccan.

The Punjab unit claimed 16 wins from their 22 outings and also managed to draw four games. They were beaten just twice in the entirety of the league season and will look to continue their fine form into the ISL in the upcoming campaign.

They also ended the season with a league-leading 29-goal difference as they managed to find the back of the net 45 times while conceding just 16 goals.