Calcutta: East Bengal celebrated 15 years of their Asean Club Championship triumph on Thursday, but Subhas Bhowmick, who was the coach of the victorious team, says that achievement in 2003 has turned out to be more of a “curse” for him than a special memory.
Bhowmick, who is currently the technical director of East Bengal, explained: “It was definitely a special moment for East Bengal when we won the Asean title in Indonesia, but for me, it now seems like a curse… Because since that triumph, we haven’t been able to win a single big trophy. So I will be a happier man when we find some notable success again.”
East Bengal last won the National League, which was renamed I-League in 2007, in the 2003-04 season.
Asked if he had any particular target in sight, Bhowmick said: “I don’t know whether we will be playing in the I-League or the Indian Super League (ISL)… But it is a fact that it is high time we won something big.”
Bhowmick also revealed that he wants East Bengal to play a tournament outside India. “I definitely want this team to play outside India… But I haven’t yet spoken to the club. The officials are busy with a lot of things nowadays and whenever the right opportunity comes, I, along with the coaching team, will definitely put forward my proposal,” he said.
He, however, added that the current East Bengal team is mostly made up of young players and so they shouldn’t be harshly criticised if they fail. “It’s a young team and so it is my request to everyone that they shouldn’t be criticised unnecessarily. That will de-motivate them. If you want to blame anyone, blame me,” Bhowmick said in defence of his team. Senior East Bengal official Debabrata Sarkar, when asked about Bhowmick’s wish of playing a tournament outside India, said: “We will surely think about that when the time comes. If there is an opportunity, that can always be discussed.”
Asked about the club’s prospect of playing in the ISL in the upcoming season, Sarkar said: “It is still not clear whether we will play the I-League or the ISL. There have been discussions, but nothing is concrete yet. What is however confirmed is that if we play in the ISL, we will play from Calcutta and nowhere else.”
He also revealed that East Bengal are trying to recruit a foreign striker and that Costa Rican World Cupper Johnny Acosta will be joining the team soon. “Acosta’s visa is being processed… He will join us as soon as that is settled. We will also try to rope in a good striker,” he said.
About who could be the possible captain of the team in the upcoming season, Sarkar said: “We usually give that responsibility as per seniority… Samad Ali Mallick has a good chance, but no decision has been made yet.”
East Bengal will be playing their Calcutta Football League matches at the club ground, though its condition at the moment is not ideal. “We will be practising at Salt Lake from Friday… Training at the club ground is turning out to be a bit risky,” informed Bhowmick.
Meanwhile, East Bengal is mulling to bring all their matches under insurance cover. “We are trying to do that so that if any of our fans or any football lover who is present at the ground during the match meets with an accident or any other mishap, we can provide that person with some help,” Sarkar said.
