Pavlos Dermitzakis appointed as Punjab FC coach as youth-focused project yields early rewards
On July 13, 2026, Punjab FC appointed Pavlos Dermitzakis as head coach on a two-year contract ahead of the 2026-27 Indian Super League season, and his opening league match saw the club secure a stoppage-time winner against Odisha FC.
Punjab FC rose into the ISL after winning the 2022-23 I-League and have since provided players for India at multiple age levels; the club finished 8th in 2023-24, 10th in 2024-25 and 6th in 2026 while graduates such as Nikhil Prabhu, Pramveer Singh, Ricky Shabong and Bijoy Varghese have featured for the senior national team. Younger talents—including Muhammad Suhail, Omang Dodum, Laishram Rishikanta Meitei and Vishal Yadav—have impressed at youth international level, and eight Punjab FC youngsters were included in a 30-man India U20 squad that faced Singapore in friendlies earlier this year. Previous coaches Staikos Vergetis and Panagiotis Dilmperis worked with the club to transition academy players into the first team, and Punjab FC provided U-23 players with 7,100 minutes during the ISL 2024-25 season.
Panagiotis Dilmperis departed at the end of the 2025-26 campaign to join Mohun Bagan SG, and ahead of the new ISL season Punjab reached the semi-final stage of the IFA Shield 2026, where they were eliminated on penalties by eventual winners Mohun Bagan. Before the ISL opener against Odisha FC, Dermitzakis declared: “I believe our team can compete for the championship”.
Dermitzakis’ first ISL starting eleven featured 20-year-old winger Muhammad Suhail, who missed a large portion of last season with a shoulder injury, 23-year-old Indian international Ricky Shabong and a first-team debut listed as an IST start for 19-year-old Rishikanta Meitei. Club captain Nikhil Prabu was named at left-centre-half in the lineup.
The match reflected Dermitzakis’ stated style of “good and attractive football” as Raphaël Messi Bouli converted a low cross from left-back Uvais inside the opening minute; Odisha FC later equalised through a bullet header from Thoiba Singh. Punjab altered their formation at the start of the second half, and 19-year-old Bishu Sharma supplied the killer pass that allowed Messi Bouli to net the winner in the final minute of added time. India U20 international Vishal Yadav entered as a substitute and was noted as attempting to make a positive impact.
After the game Dermitzakis restated his commitment to youth and the club’s approach, saying: “First of all, I wish we have a good ISL season, to be played on good terms, and for the fans to be able to see the development of Indian football.” He added: “For sure, we are going to do one thing: we are going to put peace for the development of Indian football, with the way of football that we want to establish and, for sure, break through to the stage of new talents that I believe are the future of Indian football.” When asked specifically about the debutant Rishikanta, Dermitzakis said: “Rishikanta, just like more of our academy graduates, are players who are training with the senior team for a long time. Myself and my staff’s thoughts are that they are not here just to complete the roster but to compete for the starting lineup. These players can make the difference through their performances. Rishikanta, today, started the game but also other young players came off the bench, like Vishal Yadav and Bishy Sharma. This is a good thing because with these players, we are going to create tomorrow’s core of the team. These are players who can support what we want to do. It is not only these players, but we have even more players that we are going to see in the future.”
While it remains only one ISL victory so far, the result and Dermitzakis’ selections have been presented within the club as early evidence that the new coach is a strong fit for Punjab FC’s youth development project.
