Mumbai: Just weeks after the sacking of head coach René Meulensteen, Kerala Blasters on Tuesday released Dutch star Mark Sifneos, the club’s joint top scorer in the Indian Super League (ISL) this season.
“Kerala Blasters and Sifneos have mutually agreed to part ways. We are grateful for all his contributions to the club. The club would like to wish him well for the future,” said an official statement from the Blasters camp.
The 21 year-old who was the youngest foreign import to play in the ISL, scored four goals in 12 matches, which is such a good return given the Blasters’ poor goal scoring woes as they have amassed just 13 so far in 12 matches, two of which ended in goalless draws.
Earlier, the Dutchman had left RKC Waalwijk to join the ISL franchise in hope of getting more game time. He has time and again talked of Meulensteen as one of the primary reasons for him joining the Kerala Blasters.
But now with the former Manchester Untied assistant gone, Sifneos perhaps has decided it is a suitable time to leave the club.
An injury to Iain Hume early into the campaign made way for the him in the starting line-up and he took it with open hands, scoring Kerala’s opening goal that came after a wait of two matches.
However ever since David James took up the baton, Sifneos has found game time hard to come by with his last start coming against Mumbai City. He has only been used as a substitute in the last two games.
Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters after reaching the finals twice in three seasons currently lie seventh in the table with just 14 points and next face Delhi Dynamos at home, before three consecutive away matches.