Subhas Bhowmick speaks to Chandan Das of Southern Samity, on Monday. A Telegraph Picture

Calcutta: It’s time once again for Premier Division action in the Calcutta Football League (CFL). While Maidan’s big three begin their local league campaign later this month, the proceedings get underway Tuesday with newly-promoted Southern Samity taking on Railway FC, at the Mohun Bagan ground.

Southern Samity coach I.M. Vijayan, who had gone on leave and missed quite a few of the club’s practice sessions, returned to the city on Monday evening. However, on the eve of the club’s Premier Division debut, there was a twist in the tale when former East Bengal coach Subhas Bhowmick was seen at the Southern Samity practice ground chatting with the club players.

Talk is that the Maidan veteran might join the club as their technical director but, when contacted by The Telegraph, Bhowmick declined to comment. A senior club official claimed that Bhowmick was ready and willing but wanted to talk to Vijayan before making anything formal.

Bhowmick and Vijayan share a unique relationship. Bhowmick had coached Vijayan in his last year as a professional footballer, in East Bengal while Vijayan had roped in the veteran as one of the coaches at the football academy he set up in 2000, in Kerala. So, it will be interesting to see whether Bhowmick will be sitting in the stands or on the bench on Tuesday afternoon.

If Bhowmick does sign for Southern Samity it will mark his Maidan comeback after last season’s 3-5 derby loss as the East Bengal coach.

The big three have it easy for the time being. Champions Mohun Bagan are currently in Siliguri for a pre-season training camp. “Our main focus right now is fitness,” Bagan captain Ishfaq Ahmed said. “By the time our matches come up, we expect the whole team to be fully fit.” With a new coach in Stanley Rozario, Bagan will be keen to defend their title.

East Bengal, too, are attending a training camp, at Kalyani.

“It’s always good to play the local league as it motivates the team. It gives the team confidence if one does well here,” said East Bengal’s Alvito D’Cunha, who will be joining the team very soon. “It prepares us for the I-League and other major tournaments. We just hope that, unlike last season, the CFL fixtures are not tinkered with too much.”

The red and gold brigade, too, have a new helmsman in Englishman Trevor James Morgan. East Bengal fans will have to wait and watch how the 53-year-old, who has been associated with Hull City, calls the shots this season.

Last season’s runners-up Chirag United have a lot to prove. With Santosh Trophy star Denson Devadas, foreigners Joshimar, Chika Wali and Sergei Tokov in the team, fans will be keeping a close watch on how the team go about their local campaign.

The CFL also provides an opportunity to some old-timers to show they can still lead their teams to glory — Syed Nayeemudin of Mohammedan Sporting and Santosh Trophy-winning coach Shabbir Ali, who recently took over at Calcutta Port Trust.

Last season, due to certain scheduling clashes, the CFL ended much later than it was supposed to. Utpal Ganguli, the Indian Football Association secretary, however, has assured that this year the league would end by October 31. “We are sticking to the same format as last year. We plan to end the competition by October 31,” he said.

The only thing one can hope for is that the CFL does not turn into a farce like it did last season.