In a big news for ISL fans, the organisers of the football tournament on Sunday announced that the iconic East Bengal club will make its debut in the Indian Super League this season.
The development comes after Kolkata-based cement giants, Shree Cement Limited, acquired majority stakes in East Bengal to form ‘Shree Cement East Bengal Foundation’ which had submitted the bid documents to Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL).
East Bengal will now become the 11th team in the competition which started as an eight team competition back in 2014. The tournament is to be played at three venues of Goa this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Welcoming East Bengal into the ISL, FSDL chairperson Nita Ambani said the Red and Golds’ inclusion after arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, who merged with ATK, in the country’s top division is a monumental development for the Indian football ecosystem at large.
“It is such a happy and proud moment for ISL as we welcome East Bengal FC and their millions of fans into the League. The inclusion of both legacy clubs, i.e. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan (now ATK Mohun Bagan) opens limitless possibilities for Indian football, especially for talent development in the state,” Ambani said in a statement.
“West Bengal has made an immense contribution to the growth of the beautiful game in India. ISL’s growing footprint in the state and across India, is yet another step towards our mission of building a competitive and robust football ecosystem in the country.
