Phillipe ‘Indi’ De Ridder

Calcutta: After having failed to impress in the just concluded Durand Cup under stop-gap coach Bikash Panji, East Bengal have appointed Belgian coach Phillipe ‘Indi’ De Ridder on Thursday. “We wanted to be the pioneer in the Maidan by roping in a foreign coach and so we have decided to bring Indi,” East Bengal secretary Kalyan Majumdar said on Thursday.

Armed with a Uefa B coaching diploma, Phillipe has a vast experience as coach in youth and academy programmes in several countries including United States, Argentina, Brazil, Togo, Thailand, Spain and Belgium.

The 39-year-old coach, now associated with the IFA-CFS Football Academy in the city, replaced Subhas Bhowmick, who was relieved from charge after he was caught taking bribe from a businessman few days back. Panji, who was asked to perform the duties of head coach, will assist the new coach, the club secretary announced.

The Belgian, who played for the his country in the under-12, under-14, under-16, under-18 and under-20 levels, had visited the IFA Academy in Haldia six months back and trained with the wards for 15 days. Phillipe also took part in the under-18 European Championships, but his professional career ended owing to serious ankle and knee injuries.

“I have very little idea about the East Bengal club, but will be able to gauge the players within a few days,” Phillipe said at the club tent on Thursday. However, he ruled out the possibility of a miracle. “I will introduce new techniques in training and am aiming to grab the top spot in the national level,” he said.

The coach has been handed a two-year contract and will start training from Friday.