NEW DELHI: Things are falling into place for Kolkata giants East Bengal in their bid to enter the Indian Super League. On Monday, the club submitted their bid document online under the aegis of East Bengal Football Club Private Limited with the physical copy set to reach ISL authorities by Tuesday.
All this is a far cry to what was happening a month back.
After Mohun Bagan merged with ATK to form a single entity and make the ISL cut, the pressure on East Bengal officials to find an investor grew manifold.
And with the Covid-19 pandemic gripping the world, things were made even more arduous.
“We were in talks with multiple investors, many of whom showed interest but after the pandemic struck, the dealings got more and more difficult. It was thanks to the Chief Minister of West Bengal's intervention that things got wrapped up smoothly in the end,” senior club official Debabrata Sarkar said.
With Shree Cement on board, the club are confident of entering the top tier with the ISL authorities set to evaluate the bid document and take a call within a week.
They also seem to be confident of not repeating the mistakes which occurred last time under the management of QUESS.
“The new investors are gentlemen and we envisage no problems. They are from the city and know and love the game. Both our priorities are the same — taking the club to new heights. We will work in tandem to improve the club in all aspects,” he added.
East Bengal's investors registered a new company named Shree Cement Foundation, with eight directors from Shree Cement Limited which reportedly acquired a majority stake of 76 per cent in the joint venture with East Bengal. Two directors will be from East Bengal.
The composition is yet to be fixed. If an ISL spot does present itself, the club also need to form a strong squad.
Millions of fans are constantly searching for the latest information ranging from who the head coach might be to whether the club will acquire the services of a high-profile player.
“We have received numerous CVs of players and coaches, some of whom are quite well-known. But the process can only be accelerated once things fall into place and a coach comes onboard. The fans can rest assured that we will be forming a strong team for sure."