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What's the story?
As Kolkata gears up for the Calcutta Football League 2018, contenders Bhawanipore FC have an added reason to rejoice with legend Subrata Bhattacharya taking up the coaching reins in the upcoming season.
Incidentally, the former Mohun Bagan legend is said to have had offers from other city clubs like Tollygunge Agranami, but turned them down to join Bhawanipore.
In case you didn't know...
Subrata Bhattacharya, a legendary Arjuna Award winner has an incredible record to his name. As a former Mohun Bagan player, he spent 17 years of his football career at the club, and later went on to coach them, in turn, winning the National Football League twice. The veteran has also coached other Kolkata sides like East Bengal, Prayag United and Southern Samity.
The heart of the matter
Rumours were doing the rounds that Bhattacharya would coach Tollygunge Agragami in the upcoming season, which he had done previously. It was under his mentoring that they almost took home the 2014 CFL, but lost to East Bengal by just three points.
This season, however, Bhattacharya decided to join Bhawanipore FC instead, and said that he had done so due to the fact that he was being offered a better remuneration as well as amenities.
What's next?
While the dates for the commencement of CFL are yet to be decided, the Indian Football Association (IFA) has set a tentative start date of around July 18. Now, with a top quality coach in their ranks, Bhawanipore FC will be looking to challenge the traditional giants like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting in the CFL.
Author's take
While this move could turn out to be beneficial for Tollygunge Agranami, it remains to be seen where the Mohun Bagan legend ends up, after the current turmoil in East Bengal and Mohun Bagan finishes.
