There is no shortage of drama at East Bengal at the moment. Trevor Morgan’s resignation under acrimonious circumstances was quickly followed by the appointment of Bengal’s Santosh Trophy winning coach Mridul Banerjee as his replacement till the end of this season. This came as a surprise to many as Armando Colaco was the favourite for the hot seat after he had himself confirmed East Bengal’s interest in his services.
However, a day into Mridul Banerjee's term as the new coach, the Red and Gold brigade were given another jolt as Banerjee had to be carried off the field after suffering a freak injury. And it seems like the days for the veteran coach is over before it even started.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Banerjee, detailed about the situation, saying, “Unfortunately, I will not be able to carry on my coaching duties at East Bengal anymore. The freak accident has caused a rupture to my Achilles tendon. And I have been advised to rest for up to four weeks and by then, the Federation Cup gets over. It’s a very unfortunate situation for both me and the club.”
Banerjee also had words for the East Bengal supporters, who were looking towards him to add a breath of fresh air into their campaign.
“I am really grateful that a club like East Bengal thought of me as a capable hand to lead them to success. I know that this has been a turbulent season for them. I only wished to bring back the smile on their faces by winning the Federation Cup. However, that doesn’t seem possible anymore.”
Ranjan Chowdhury brought in as a stop-gap measure
Moving quickly to alleviate the crisis, the East Bengal advisory committee, which was formed post-Trevor Morgan’s departure has sought out the services of former assistant coach Ranjan Chowdhury as a stop gap measure. Whilst Banerjee will remain as the “registered coach”, Ranjan Chowdhury will take over the helm of the day to day matters at the club in the capacity of “assistant coach”.
The news was confirmed by Chowdhury as well. He had earlier served as the second-in-command under both Trevor Morgan (in his first stint) and Armando Colaco before parting ways with the club in 2014.
With the present situation in mind, East Bengal has been afforded nine to ten days time to appoint an A-License coach by the AIFF.
