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What’s the story?
Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan have announced the arrival of their fifth foreigner for the upcoming I-League on Tuesday. Omar Nabil Rashad Elhussieny will be coming from Mohamed Salah’s land Egypt.
In case you didn’t know...
Mohun Bagan now have four foreigners in their team. Cameroon’s Aser Pierrick Dipanda Dicka, Uganda’s Henry Kisekka, Nigerian Kingsley Obumneme and Japanese Yuta Kinowaki. As per the I-League rules, a team can have six foreign players in their ranks. So Mohun Bagan still has the opportunity to sign one more player from abroad.
The heart of the matter
After much confusion and rumours, the good news finally came on Tuesday evening, much to the satisfaction of their supporters. Through a press release, the club said:
“We are pleased to announce that we have selected Mr. Omar Nabil Rashad Elhussieny an attacking midfield player from Eygpt after consultation with Head Coach Mr. Sankarlal Chakraborty as the fifth foreigner. The player will come to Kolkata and shall undergo a complete medical and physical fitness test. During this time the Head Coach will observe him and after successful conclusion of test we will sign him.”
So, it’s still not clear whether he will be signed or not. But club sources said Elhussieny has already been chosen as the fifth foreigner. The fitness and physical test are just a formality.
Elhussieny has applied for a visa on Tuesday and he is supposed to receive it by Thursday, October 11. The player is most likely to come by Saturday, October 13.
As an attacking midfielder, El Hussieny has played in Maltese club Zetjun Corinthians FC, where he scored three goals from 13 matches. He started his footballing in Egyptian club El Sharqia Dokhan FC, where he played 50 matches, scoring 14 goals and providing 25 assists, during his three-year tenure. He moved out of Egypt in 2014 to play for Estonian club FC Levadia and subsequently played in Persela Lamorgan (Indonesia), Paide LM (Estonia) Zetjun.
Mohun Bagan have also said they are in negotiations with the sixth foreigner and will announce the name in the next few days.
What’s next?
The rumour regarding former player Sony Norde has been doing rounds for a few days. But the club management has kept mum about this so far. So, the arrival of El Hussieny brings in a fresh air among the Green and Maroon supporters, who were tensed about the club’s unfulfilled foreign quota.
