~ Former India Inteational Ishfaq Ahmed appointed deputy of Coppell for the next season of ISL ~

Mumbai, July 14, 2017 /- Tata Steel today announced the signing of Stephen James `Steve’ Coppell as the head coach of its Jamshedpur-based franchise, Jamshedpur Football Club, for the upcoming season of Indian Super League (ISL). Last month, Tata Steel had successfully bid for the Jamshedpur-based franchise of the coveted ISL. Stephen James Coppell, popularly known as Steve Coppell, joined the franchise after a successful stint with Kerala Blasters. The former Manchester United star is all set to bring his coaching expertise to the table for the Tata Steel team.

Steve Coppell was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and skills at Manchester United. He scored 70 goals in 395 appearances for Manchester United and also represented England from 1977 to 1983. He has also managed Bristol City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City, Brentford and, most notably, Crystal Palace and Reading, both of which he took from the English second tier to achieve each club’s greatest-ever success.

Tata Steel also announced the signing of former India football player Ishfaq Ahmed as the assistant coach of the franchise. Ishfaq Ahmed has also been working with Kerala Blasters for the last two years as an assistant coach and has helped the franchise in the recruitment of players.

Ishfaq Ahmed has represented the Indian National Team at various levels and in tournaments such as Independence Cup, Olympic Qualifiers (2003) and World Cup Qualifiers (2004).

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. T V Narendran, Managing Director, Tata Steel India & South-East Asia, said: “Tata Steel has a long and enduring commitment to sports, especially football. Our foray into ISL is in line with the commitment to develop Indian football. Jamshedpur Football Club’s association with Steve Coppell and Ishfaq Ahmed is yet another step in this direction”.

Following the formal signing ceremony, Mr. Sunil Bhaskaran, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said: “We are pleased to have on board Steve Coppell and Ishfaq Ahmed as the Head Coach and Assistant Coach, respectively, of our very own Jamshedpur Football Club. I am confident that, with their collective experience, they will transform the Jamshedpur Football Club into a valuable entity that we can be proud of”.

>Tata Steel has a long association with sports, especially football, and has set up the Tata Football Academy (TFA) in Jamshedpur. TFA has been grooming exceptional players who have brought glory to the nation for the last 30 years. The new team will leverage the state-of-the-art infrastructure at TFA.

Established in Jamshedpur in 1987, the objective of TFA has been to nurture and train budding footballers in the most scientific way to improve the standard of Indian football by producing outstanding players for the Indian National Team. The academy has trained over 200 players, out of whom 135 have represented the country, with 19 of them having led the national team as Captain across various age groups.

About Tata Steel

Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 27.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) as on March 31, 2017. It is the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Group recorded a consolidated turnover of US $18.12 billion (INR 117,420 crore) in FY17. Tata Steel Group is spread across five continents with an employee base of nearly 74,000. Having bagged the Deming Application Prize and Deming Grand Prize for continuous improvement in 2008 and 2012 respectively, Tata Steel has now been recognised as the global ‘Industry Leader’ in ‘Steel category’ by Dow Jones Sustainability Index (2015). Besides being a member of the World Steel Climate Action Programme, Tata Steel has also been felicitated with several awards including the Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2013-14 (received in 2017), Best Risk Management by CNBC TV18 (2016), ‘Best-in-class Manufacturing’ award from TIME India (2016) and the ‘Most Ethical Company’ award from the Ethisphere Institute (2016), IIM Sustainability Award (2015), among several others.

Disclaimer

Statements in this press release describing the Company’s performance may be “forward looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results may differ materially from those directly or indirectly expressed, inferred or implied. Important factors that could make a difference to the Company’s operations include, among others, economic conditions affecting demand/ supply and price conditions in the domestic and overseas markets in which the Company operates, changes in or due to the environment, Government regulations, laws, statutes, judicial pronouncements and/ or other incidental factors.

Kulvin Suri
Chief, Corporate Communications, India & SEA
Tata Steel
E-mail: kulvinsuri@tatasteel.com