Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC on Friday appointed experienced Italian Marco Pezzaiuoli as its new head coach on a three-year performance-based contract. (More Football News)
He will take charge of the club after the ongoing ISL.
A German-born Italian, Pezzaiuoli’s first assignment will be in the AFC Cup Preliminary Stage two on April 14. His contract will run till the end of the 2023-24 season.
The 52-year-old's most recent stint was with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, where he served as the Technical Director.
Speaking on his appointment, Pezzaiuoli said, "I'm very proud to be a part of Bengaluru FC, and excited about the challenge to bring the team back to the top.
"I am always keen to gather experiences in life and football and to be able to make a difference wherever I go. I'm also keen to share my experience to help Indian football grow."
Commenting on the appointment, Bengaluru FC Director Parth Jindal said, "Marco brings with him tremendous experience of having worked with clubs in the top tier in Europe and Asia, along with a significant stint with the age-group sides of the German national team.
"What drew me to appointing him was his intent, organisation and clarity of thought on how he wants to take Bengaluru FC back to where we belong.
"Our ambition has been to play the AFC Champions League and I believe Marco has the vision and style to lead us there. The senior team aside, his expertise with youth will go a long way in helping us further build on the success of our academy."
Bengaluru FC had parted ways with Carles Cuadrat in the middle of the ongoing ISL after a string of poor performances and Naushad Moosa has taken charge in interim capacity.
The former champions are currently in a difficult situation to qualify for the play-offs as they are in the seventh spot with 19 points with three matches left.
Pezzaiuoli started his coaching career as the Youth Director at Bundesliga second division side Karlsruher SC, while his first stint outside Germany was with Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC in South Korea, where he won the K-League and K-League Cup in 2004.
He returned to Germany and took charge of the youth teams. With the likes of Mario Gotze, Marc Andre ter Stegen, Shkodran Mustafi and Bernd Leno, his U-17 side won the European Championship in 2009.
Along with Matthias Sammer, he put together a new football philosophy and training programme for the national team ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He also worked as the team analyst for Germany at Euro 2008.
Pezzaiuoli then joined Ralf Rangnick as an assistant at TSG Hoffenheim, coaching players like Robert Firmino, Gylfi Sigurdsson and David Alaba. His experience in Asia also included stints at Cerezo Osaka (Japan) and Guangzhou Evergrande FC (China).