East Bengal land in Thimphu for AFC Challenge League
Times of India | 25 October 2024
Kolkata: East Bengal FC reached Thimphu on Thursday for their upcoming AFC Challenge League campaign.
Oscar Bruzon’s side will begin the competition with a match against home team Paro FC on Oct 26, followed by matches against Bashundhara Kings on Oct 29 and Nejmeh SC on Nov 1.
The Super Cup champions have settled for Asia’s third-tier continental club football competition after failing to win the one-leg qualifier for AFC Champions League Two.
Bruzon named a 26-member squad for the competition as the team is desperately searching for a turnaround. East Bengal have started the ISL Season-XI with six consecutive defeats and have already seen Super Cup-winning coach Carles Cuadrat step down, paving the way for Bruzon’s arrival in the dug-out.
Ex-EB and Mohammedan SC player dies:
Former midfielder Kajal Chatterjee, who played for East Bengal and Mohammedan SC in the 1980s, passed away on Thursday. He was 74. Chatterjee had been suffering from heart-related ailment for the past few years.
Chatterjee joined East Bengal in 1979 and was brought into prominence next year by the then red-and-gold coach PK Banerjee when a number of eminent teammates decided to join Mohammedan SC. Banerjee used him as a ‘policeman’ as an under-strength East Bengal defied odds to win the Federation Cup.
Chatterjee played for Mohammedan SC after his two-year stint with East Bengal. He was involved in coaching various small teams in the Maidan later on.