After four back-to-back losses in the I-League football championship, under-fire East Bengal chief coach Trevor Morgan resigned on Monday. According to reports, Dempo stalwart Armando Colaco, a familiar face at East Bengal, will take over from Morgan.
According to reports, Goan manager to join team for last two games
AGENCIES
Kolkata
East Bengal lost to DSK Shivajians 0-1 a week after going down 1-2 to arch-rivals Mohun Bagan. Previously, Chennai City FC and Churchill Brothers too beat them away and at home, respectively. With only two matches remaining, East Bengal are six points behind league leaders and arch-foes Mohun Bagan.
“I have got the resignation letter from Trevor. I don’t know about the future course of action. You should talk to the club secretary (Kalyan Majumder) to know about it,” said Santosh Bhattacharya, the football secretary who played the pivotal role in ensuring Morgan comes back for a second innings in Kolkata.
East Bengal’s string of losses began with Churchill Brothers, followed by defeats against Chennai City FC in both whom and return leg -- all by identical 2-1 margins. The derby defeat was enough for the fans, who laid siege at the club last week demanding Morgan’s ouster. However, the club gave him a lifeline till Federation Cup, even as they showed the door to his deputy Warren Hackett and goalkeeping coach Abhijit Mondal.
Colaco, the first I-League manager to guide an Indian team (Dempo SC in 2008) into the semi-finals of the AFC Cup, is expected to reach Kolkata on Wednesday. The Goan, who also briefly coached the Indian national side, had last managed the club in 2015. “I am coming to Kolkata day after tomorrow,” the veteran told football website Goal. “I will be on the bench for the last two games. It will be a very tough job but I am ready to give it a try.”
Manoranjan Bhattacharya and Tushar Rakshit will oversee the practice sessions of the team on Tuesday, following which Colaco is expected to take over. East Bengal (27 points from 16 matches) will play Minerva Punjab FC and Mumbai FC in their two remaining matches.
