Mumbai, 14 November: Mumbai City FC have appointed Ashvir Singh Johal as head coach for the rest of the 2026-27 season. Johal will travel to India and join the squad shortly.
Johal’s background
Johal was born in Leicester, England, and began as a player and coach at the non-league club Guru Nanak Gurdwara FC. He then spent ten years coaching in Leicester City’s academy, working with players up to Under-18 level.
In 2022-23 he moved into first-team coaching as assistant to Kolo Touré at Wigan Athletic in the English Championship. He was then assistant to Cesc Fabregas with Como’s Primavera side in Italy in 2023-24. Between 2024 and 2025 he took charge of Notts County’s B team, and in 2025 he became head coach of Morecambe, where he was the youngest head coach in the top five divisions of English football. He holds the UEFA Pro Licence.
What the club said
Sujay Sharma, the club’s Director of Football, said the appointment followed a process in which several candidates were assessed against the club’s footballing direction. “We recognise that Ashvir is at an early stage of his senior managerial career,” he said. “However, we believe that his experience, footballing ideas, ambition and alignment with the Club’s philosophy make him the right person for this opportunity.”
Sharma added that the club’s immediate focus is on getting the best out of the squad and that it remains committed to giving Indian players opportunities at the highest level.
Johal said the alignment between the club’s philosophy and his own approach was an important factor. “My immediate focus will be on building a strong collective, establishing the right standards and preparing the team to compete in every match,” he said.
Mumbai City, formed in 2014, won the ISL League and Cup double in 2020-21, the League Shield in 2022-23 and the ISL Cup in 2023-24. The club is owned by actor Ranbir Kapoor and businessman Bimal Parekh and plays at the Mumbai Football Arena in Andheri.
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