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What's the story?
Despite entering the final of the Super Cup, a new storm seems to be brewing behind the scenes for East Bengal. Various media reports from Kolkata have suggested that the Red and Gold's technical director Subhash Bhowmick and head coach Khalid Jamil are at loggerheads.
After their 1-0 Super Cup semifinal win over FC Goa, Bhowmick gave further wind to the rumours, as he took a dig at Jamil.
The legendary former East Bengal boss criticised the Red and Golds' performance in the I-League, saying, "You can clearly see the difference now (between the I-League and the Super Cup). We didn't really show any imagination in the I-League."
In case you didn't know...
East Bengal finished fourth in the league this season where they were highly inconsistent throughout the course of the campaign. It is believed that Jamil and Bhowkick have had a strenuous relationship since the latter's appointment as the technical director earlier this year.
The heart of the matter
It is also reported that Jamil and Bhowmick got into an altercation before the semifinals and continued to have their differences in the dugout as well. The technical director later vented out his frustration over Jamil by taking a dig at his inconsistent management in the I-League.
However, Bhowmick did help the Red and Golds' star striker Dudu Omagbemi find his feet once again, after the Nigerian striker received a lot of criticism from the fans. Dudu, who had alleged racist chants from a section fo the East Bengal faithful, had scored the winning goal in the semifinal against FC Goa, which eventually helped the Kolkata side progress to the summit clash.
However, when asked about Dudu's decision not to celebrate that goal, Bhowmick said that it as on his suggestion that the Nigerian striker decided not to celebrate. "I told him (Dudu), you will get your chance to score, and you will get your goal, but you will not celebrate," said Bhowmick.
What's next?
Dudu may have scored the winning goal of the match, but he soon hobbled off the pitch after sustaining an injury. When asked about the seriousness of the injury, Bhowmick revealed that Dudu maybe unavailable for the final on Friday.
Author's take
East Bengal have impressed in the Super Cup so far with the cup competition being the only chance to win a silverware this season. Both Jamil and Bhowmick are experienced campaigners and must put aside their differences for the sake of the club.
