NorthEast United Football Club is delighted to announce that Croatian World Cup Bronze medallist, Robert Jarni, has been appointed to lead the club for the upcoming Hero ISL season. In the past, Robert has coached premier European clubs such as Hajduk Split, Puskas Akademia FC, Pecsi Mecsek Football Club, and Fudbalski klub Sarajevo. Most recently, he was the Head Coach of the Croatian U-19 and U-20 team.

Mr. Jarni has played at the highest levels of European football with stints at clubs such as Real Madrid, Juventus, Real Betis, and Hajduk Split and is one of the most decorated Croatian players.

Speaking on the appointment, NorthEast United's Executive Director Priya Runchal said; "The Club is determined to add to the success of last year and Mr. Jarni brings the right blend of experience and tactical insight to take this team forward, with a focus on youth development."

On his appointment, Mr. Jarni added; "I am thrilled to take on this role at NorthEast United and the project has my full commitment. This is my first foray into managing an Asian club and I am thrilled to bring in an exciting brand of football which the supporters will thoroughly enjoy."

NorthEast United FC is delighted to have secured the services of former I-League winning Coach Khalid Jamil as the Head of Academy and Assistant Coach to the first team for the upcoming season.

Jamil started his managerial career with Mumbai FC. In 2017 he took over Aizawl FC and led them to their maiden I-League trophy remaining unbeaten at home throughout the journey.

His primary role at the club would be to nurture and groom talent from across the region and oversee the expansion of the club's residential academy. NorthEast United FC is committed to developing talent from the region and the appointment of Khalid Jamil is a step in the direction to achieve that vision.

NorthEast United's Executive Director Priya Runchal said on the appointment, “Identifying, grooming and providing a pathway for talent from the North East has always been a guiding vision for the club. Not only does Khalid have vast knowledge about India’s football landscape, he is also very familiar with the region. His past accomplishments such as winning the I-League and developing players fills us with confidence that he is the right candidate for the job. We are extremely happy to welcome him to the Highlander family.”

Khalid will also be the assistant coach to the First Team.

Khalid Jamil said, "It is a pleasure for me to be associated with NorthEast United and contribute towards the grooming and scouting of young players. The North East is the hotbed of talent and it is an exciting opportunity to be back in the region that breathes football. I would like to thank the management for their trust and for providing this opportunity to help build a sustainable youth structure for the club – one that is a conveyor belt for the first team. Our goal is to turn this system into one of the best in the country with the ability to cater to over 200 youth prospects at a time. In my capacity as Assistant Coach to the First Team, I look forward to working in the ISL for the first time and am confident that we can top last year's excellent season."

Leudo's resilience in the middle? Rowllin's presence? Or Gallego's mastery?

Who was your Midfielder of the Season?

Highlanders, it's time to cast your votes for your favourite midfielder in the 5th edition of the Hero Indian Super League!

The jinx has been broken and history has been created as the longstanding dream of the Highlanders faithful has come true with NorthEast United sealing their maiden playoff spot in the season five of the Hero Indian Super League.

Highlander's tale is freakishly melodramatic. It was never thought possible for a team who have consistently missed the play-off spots for the past seasons. It is an incredible tale on so many levels, not least the fact that Northeast United was languishing at the bottom of the table last season.

We have missed the playoff spot for the past four seasons and to have achieved this incredible feat speaks volumes about the tightly knit group of players and support staffs who have battled all odds to push us on the brink of an incredible feat that awaits us. A journey that started roughly seven months back has transformed a team of talented individuals into a formidable army who has taken the ISL Playoff spot by storm with a game in hand.

We could talk about the brilliance of Ogbeche, the magic of Gallego, the impregnable Mato Grgic, and yet there will be so many elements missed.

This has been like a jigsaw, a combination of talent who has been masterly in the job assigned to them yet incomplete with one another.

Puitea's tenacity across the pitch and his combination with Robert while dropping back to defend, Redeem and Reagan orchestrating moves down the right in an almost unending and industrial way throughout the game, Borges and Leudo's pivot role in midfield, Gallego's intelligence and almost telepathic connection with Ogbeche, it all adds up to the success that we have achieved as a team backed by a shrewd tactician and a competent team of support staffs.

This season, the team selection was based on intent and purpose bringing in players that covered all the bases for the team. From the forward line to midfield to the defence, the key areas were covered by players of right quality and flair. With a revamped squad, we consolidated a squad of fierce strikers, intelligent midfielders and rock-solid backline to achieve the goal that was long due. A team of individual battle-hardened players who could fight as a team and keep their heads high even at the most difficult times.

This is the lesson, the reason the whole country feels inspired by the qualification of our team that pundits had written off at the start of the season.

The feat has shown the power of team-bonding, uniting every level of the game and restoring elements in the sport beyond money. Team spirit, self-improvement, underdog positivity is what characterized our journey.

We fought as a legion, contested for every square metre on the pitch. Never let the defeat have the last word.

This achievement resonates the passion of every Highlander fan, who have supported the team through the past seasons through trials and tribulations. It calls for a moment of celebration and rejoices through the job is still half done. We would like to thank all our fans, especially the ones from the 8 states who have been our formidable 12th man for us wherever we have played to support us throughout this incredible journey.

It is a moment of reckoning for the entire Northeast, a watershed moment and breaking of a new dawn that glitters from the mountains of the Northeast to embark a new footballing journey that would leave the nation in awe in the days to come.

On behalf of the team, we would like to thank all fans for their support and for being the driving force to help us achieve playoff dreams. While the team gears up to gun for glory, we hope to continue receiving your undying support and fill the stadium with your presence and be heard with the battle cry for your own Highlanders warriors.

We are strong, we are united. As a club, as a team, as fans and with the strength of this unity of the eight remarkable states that has been the torchbearer of Indian football we can achieve this dream.

After the high of beating Mumbai City FC in the previous game, the Highlanders needed three points to secure their playoff spot which suffered a setback after being held to a 1-1 draw against FC Pune City on Wednesday.

FC Pune City under their new Coach Phil Brown have completely turned around their early season woes as they went into the game in prime run of form with two wins and a draw post the mid-season break.

The visitors playing an unconventional 5-3-2 formation posed us a difficulty in breaking them down from the middle as chances created in the first half were limited to a handful.

The idea to use both the wings and use our overlapping wingers to put the ball into the box seemed to be the idea to break the compact formation Pune City FC deployed but it created few chances as both teams looked to organize their shape before opening out to attack.

We created a few chances but ended up playing a pass too many in the box as the chances were not capitalized with both teams going into the break locked at 0-0.

Back in the second half, the boys broke the deadlock early into the game as Rowllin Borges followed a through ball from Ogbeche as the keeper came out to collect it. With pressure from Rowllin, the FC Pune City keeper, Kamaljit, failed to collect the ball cleanly and Rowllin did the needful to slot the loose ball to give us an all-important 1-0 lead in the 47th minute.

The game did not turn out to be an extravagant one, as both teams tried to break their opponents shape with neither willing to give their opponents any room to wiggle through.

With a goal advantage, the Highlanders started to look comfortable on the ball and spread the play nicely and created a flurry of chances. Gallego found himself in a brilliant shooting position after playing a quick one-two with Ogbeche but decided to cross the ball instead of taking a shot at the goal yielding an easy clearance from the defenders.

In the first 15 minutes in the second half, the Highlanders found their fluidity and creativity as Pana Triadis and Gallego orchestrated some brilliant moves to open up chances along with Puitea's all-around industrial work-rate as we looked good to enhance our lead.

But it was the visitors who stunned the raucous home crowd into silence in the 69th minute after Adil Khan connected a volley from Diego Carlos's cross to level the scores.

FC Pune City looked threatening on the break as Pawan Kumar was called into action to pull off a brilliant save from a looping ball coming over his shoulder after Ashique Kuruniyan's shot was deflected off Regan Singh's legs.

NEUFC survived another scare in the 80th minute after Ian Hune found himself in space after Leudo's headed clearance from a long throw-in fell to him at the far post. Hume took a powerful shot at the goal, but the ball crashed at the underside of the crossbar and came out to be eventually cleared out of danger by an alert Mato Grgic.

The Highlanders frustration stemmed not only from their opponents’ resilient and organized defending, it was self-inflicted too. Ogbeche squandered a gilt-edged chance to change the complexion of the top 4 playoff teams and Eelco lamented the succession of poor final balls that offered FC Pune City respite.

In order to secure a point and consolidate our backline and to open up attacking channels through direct vertical football, Coach Eelco made three changes bringing in Janeiler Rivas, Redeem Tlang and Juan Mascia deep into the game.

With Pana Triadis and Gallego substituted, the Highlanders lacked creativity in the final few minutes, which allowed the visitors more time on the ball.

We were patient, intelligent, but conservative in possession, a consequence of both Pune's pressing and their own contentment with a 1-1 stalemate. Our performance was increasingly safety-conscious the longer the stalemate remained, though inviting the visitors to push forward in numbers was not without its risks.

A rush of blood and moment of indecision in the 88th minute saw Jose Leudo receive a direct red card for an off the ball incident. A night of frustration and accumulation of woes saw Mato Grgic pick up his fourth yellow card of the season and is set to miss the next away game against Kerala Blasters.

With 2 points dropped and we set to lose two key players in the form of Mato Grgic and Jose Leudo, we face a monumental battle as they take on Kerala Blasters next on the 1st of March to secure our playoff spot for the first time in our club's history.

With 28 points from 17 games, the Highlanders are placed third on the table, as the battle for playoff heats up and is expected to go right down the wire.

NorthEast United FC 1
47’ Rowllin Borges

FC Pune City 1
69’ Adil Khan

We are delighted to announce the signing of Columbian centre-back, Janeiler Rivas Palacios, as a free agent for the remainder for the ISL 2018/19 season!

Rivas has provided solidity to the backline for his previous clubs like CA Cerro, Boyacá Chicó, Atlético Huila, Alianza Atl. and Millonarios before joining us at the crucial end of the season to reinforce our title charge. In his last season with Millonarios FC, he aided the club to a record 15th title in the First Division of Colombia, the Categoría Primera A.

Rivas is a ball-playing defender blessed with both technique and composure in abundance. The 30-year-old Colombian centre-back is known to build attacks from the backline and is also adept at more traditional aspects of the job such as winning headers and making interceptions.

Standing tall at 6' 6", Rivas presents a commanding, well-built figure who’s difficult to get the better of either in the air or in a foot race. Fondly called 'Chiquito', Rivas is rarely outmanoeuvred by opposition strikers. Most impressive, though, is his ability with the ball and the ability to keep his cool in possession.

Rivas will be replacing injured Croatian centre-back, Mislav Komorski, to partner the defensive duties with Mato Grgic to fight for the title glory for the 2018/19 season.

We welcome 'Chiquito' Rivas to the Highlanders family!

Full Information

Name: Janeiler Rivas Palacios
Place and date of birth: Quibdó, Chocó / May 18, 1988
Age: 28 years
Height: 1.94 meters
Position: Defending
Previous Club: Millonarios FC (Colombia)