What’s the story?
East Bengal head coach Trevor Morgan has decided to impose a fine on himself after his lack of attention to details caused two of his players to miss a practice session ahead of their crucial I-League clash against defending champions Bengaluru FC.
Jackichand Singh and Md Rafique, who are part of the 18-member matchday squad had to miss the team practice on the eve of the game after some unfortunate miscommunication from the Red and Gold hierarchy. David Lalrinmuana, meanwhile, will miss out on the crucial encounter owing to personal reasons.
“It was my fault. I did not inform him (Jackichand) to come for practice, as I thought he was among those players, who will not feature in tomorrow’s match. I will impose a fine on myself for the mistake,” quipped Morgan at the press conference.
“David Lalrinmuana and Md Rafique were also among the absentee. David was not present for some family problems and Rafique went to Central Park as he thought the practice was at Central Park.”
In case you didn’t know...
East Bengal are playing their home games at the Barasat stadium this season with their usual home ground Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake stadium) under renovation for the upcoming FIFA U17 World Cup.
And whilst they have been practising regularly at the Bidhan Nagar Municipality ground regularly, the team had decided to practice at Barasat a day before the game. However, a miscommunication led to both Jackichand as well as Rafique missing out on the practice session.
The heart of the matter
Trevor Morgan is back in his second stint as the head coach of East Bengal after spending three years at the helm of the Kolkata giants between 2010 and 2013. In those three years, the Rebels enjoyed much success as the Englishman led them to three Calcutta League triumphs on the trot whilst also winning the Federation Cup twice.
They also made their mark on the continental scene when Morgan led East Bengal to the semi-final of the AFC Cup in 2013. The I-League, however, remains a title that is much coveted by both Morgan and the East Bengal faithful.
And they know very well, that Sunday’s game against Bengaluru FC is the first “big game” of the season. The result will not only play a crucial role in shaping the top of the league table but also have a huge emotional impact on both squads.
Sportskeeda’s take
Both teams head into the game unbeaten after East Bengal and Bengaluru picked up seven and nine points from their first three games respectively. And Morgan knows fully well the importance of the contest. Thus, such a mistake could and should have been avoided.
However, by imposing a fine on himself, Trevor Morgan has gone on to show that no one in the squad is above disciplinary action.
