East Bengal rope in Subhas Bhowmick as technical director; Khalid Jamil stays

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Kolkata: East Bengal on Monday brought back their most successful manager Subhas Bhowmick as technical director who will work in tandem with chief coach Khalid Jamil after another disappointing I-League campaign.

This will be Bhowmick's fourth spell at the club and he is understandably excited to be back, even though it is the fag end of the season with only the Super Cup left to be played next month.

"It's a matter of respect to be back in East Bengal again. I just received the call informing me about the development. Tomorrow I will sit with the officials to clarify my role," Bhowmick told PTI.

This decision was taken after a marathon meeting of the club officials who deliberated on the future of Jamil as he earned flak after they slipped to a poor fourth finish with two successive draws in the recently-concluded I-League.

"But the club agreed that Jamil will continue and Bhowmick will come on board as TD," an official said.

Bhowmick had a forgettable first stint with the club during 1999-2000 season before he returned to coach from 2002-2005 and led them to back-to-back national league titles.

But he was caught in an alleged bribery scandal in 2005.

His last stint at East Bengal was from 2008-09 that had ended with their shocking derby loss to Mohun Bagan 3-5.

Apart from Kolkata Football League, Durand Cup and IFA Shield victories, East Bengal had also won the LG ASEAN Club Cup in 2003 during his tenure.