ISL Season 8: SC East Bengal have had a rough outing this season in the Indian Super League. They have mostly languished at the bottom of the table and have struggled to get results in the current campaign. Follow all the ISL 2021-22 LIVE Updates only on InsideSport.IN
However, that was not the case when the season started as they roped in former Real Madrid youth team coach Manolo Diaz to spearhead the team and take them to greater heights. But somehow the dynamics did not match and SC East Bengal went eight ISL games without a win under Manolo Diaz before he decided to part ways with the club.
𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
SC East Bengal confirms that Jose Manuel Diaz and his deputy Angel Puebla Garcia have mutually agreed to part ways due to personal reasons.
Former India captain and our assistant coach Renedy Singh has taken over charge as interim head coach. pic.twitter.com/umt5MrJSDt
— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) December 28, 2021
The Red and Golds supporters have always blamed their management for delaying in team-building process and not stringing in a good enough team to compete in a competition like the ISL. Manolo Diaz in a recent interview with The Indian Express has also called the shots on the team management for their massive levels of unprofessionalism.
Diaz highlighted how he only recommended only two foreign players in the whole team and the others simply did not have the quality to fight in the ISL. Speaking about the team and the quality, Diaz highlighted, “I have already said that East Bengal does not have the level to compete in the Indian Super League (ISL). The fault lies with the management for making the squad. We can’t just only blame the players.”
“Besides, I did not sign any current players in the squad. I just recommended two names, one Sidoel Darren, second one was Antonio Perosevic. The squad does not have depth to compete in a top league like ISL. The team was poorly-made. Moreover, six foreigners were chosen who had no ISL experience. I should have spoken to the previous coach Robbie Fowler before taking up the job,” the former tactician revealed.
Then Manolo called the big shots in the interview where he went on to slam SC East Bengal officials Shrenik Sett and Colonel. Shivaji Samadder. He repeatedly called them unprofessional and also revealed how the players also don’t like them.
“Srenik Sett (from investor Shree Cement) is a very bad professional. The players told this to me as well. It is a shame that a team like East Bengal with so much rich history and legacy has managers like Sett, his son or the colonel (CEO Shivaji Samaddar). They are not professional at all. Even the players do not want them. The investor should not have put these people in those positions to begin with,” Diaz opined.
Lastly, he was quizzed if he has any intentions of coming back to SC East Bengal or any other ISL team. Diaz denied it as he does not like the current management at the club but keeps his doors open for a serious project and a team with which he can compete for the ISL title.
“With this management in East Bengal right now, it is impossible. If there is any serious project from East Bengal or any other side with a squad of players who will be able to compete and win the ISL, then of course,” Diaz concluded.
SC East Bengal recently issued a media statement on all of their social media handle where Manolo Diaz has claimed that he was misquoted by the news organisation which interviewed him. He in fact suggested how professional the Shree Cement management including the likes of Srenik Sett and Col. Shivaji Sammader have been starting from his appointment to arranging tickets and the visa. He also highlighted how the team management were very efficient with their timely salaries and the vision that they had for the club. His statements were totally different from the ones that were published in the interview earlier.
Clarification letter from former SC East Bengal head coach Jose Manuel Diaz to the club management regarding his misquoted interviews in a few publications. pic.twitter.com/RUh3fl6h10
— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) January 28, 2022
After SC East Bengal released the media statement, Indian Express, the organisation that conducted the interview with Manolo Diaz also stated that they will stand by the interview as it was done on WhatsApp with the help of Spanish interpreters and there were hardly any chance of the quotes getting misinterpreted. They revealed the details on Twitter by quote tweeting SC East Bengal’s media statement.
The original interview with Jose Manuel Diaz was conducted in Spanish over Whastapp with help of translators in Spain. The Indian Express stands by the story. https://t.co/nToEall5zb
— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) January 29, 2022
Now it will be interesting to see if the Red and Golds come up with something considering the stance taken by Indian Express. The SC East Bengal fans are not at all happy with the entire fiasco as they point fingers at the team management for several reasons. Starting from their performances on the field to the stories of mismanagement that spring up every now and then.
