Kolkata: SC East Bengal’s possibility for participating in next season’s Indian Premier League has been doubt for a while now with the ongoing tussle between the investors Shree Cement and the club officials regarding the signature on the term sheet. Due to such tough situation the club has not even building any squad ahead of the 2021/22 season.
Amidst this chaos, East Bengal Ultras, the fanatic group of supporters wrote up a letter to the honorable Chief Minister of Bengal, Smt. Mamata Banerjee urging for intervene the ongoing matter.
Our letter to CM!
Honorable CM @MamataOfficial, we request you to please resolve the issue between @sc_eastbengal and @shreecementltd ! Millions of #EastBengal fans are suffering due to this.#JoyEastBengal#BangalBrigade#EastBengalUltras#RajaEbarCharoGodi 🔴🟡✊ pic.twitter.com/vaCTz7mTv7
— #𝙍𝙖𝙟𝙖𝙀𝙗𝙖𝙧𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙞 🔴🟡✊ (@ebultras1920) May 29, 2021
EB Ultras though thanked her for the efforts regarding the handling of the pandemic situation and also for the initiative for which East Bengal found investors on the right time, “Hope you are doing well in these difficult times. A big Thank you from all East Bengal fans for your efforts in handling the Covid-19 crisis and the relief and rescue efforts after cyclone Yaas.”
“There is however one issue where we would request your earnest attention. It was due to your timely intervention that Shree Cement decided to invest in our club and on 2nd September 2020, a term sheet was signed in your presence, paving the way for East Bengal’s entry into the country’s top league.” added Ultras in their statement.
“However, when it came to the signing of the final agreement, differences arose and it seems the logjam between the two parties is going to severely hamper our team building for the upcoming season. We had appealed to the club officials to publish the clauses where there are serious differences of opinion. The club did not respond to the fans’ request, while the officials never hesitate to boast of the huge fanbase. This is outright duplicity as the fans are the biggest stakeholders in a football club.” Ultras further added.
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East Bengal, who are one of the oldest and successful football club in the nation and known for their huge fan base entered the ISL last season.
However their squad was not accumulated up to mark leading to a campaign to forget while the tussle made some of foreign signings presence in the squad doubtful which large came down to the standard of management by the club officials. The fans though highlighted the lack of professionalism to the CM in hope for a solution.
“It is already May end and there have been some notable departures from last year’s squad, thereby significantly weakening an already average team. A football team cannot be built in 15 days, as (in) famously claimed by an East Bengal official. There is a serious lack of professionalism, which is well documented. If there is no permanent solution, then there will be no stability in the club management and as such, no top level player would choose to play for East Bengal. Year after year, we witness internal squabbles or friction with investors or interference in the work of the coaches by the officials, thereby preventing a sustainable growth model to prosper.” The statement further tells.
The delayed squad building process will eventually have an effect on the performance on the field as well. The supporter though asked the CM for taking matters in her hands regarding the final term sheet before it makes more embarrassment for the loyal fans spread all-around the world,
“It is in this regard, that we request your timely intervention. Please step in and help us find a solution to this ongoing tug of war between the two parties. We feel that only you can end this logjam. Since the ordinary fans might be legally barred from looking at the agreement and it’s clauses, we would request you to be our eyes and ears and figure out where the real issue lies. Shree Cement have reportedly told FSDL that if the final agreement is not signed by Monday, 31st May, they would pull out of this venture. We therefore have very little time in our hands. East Bengal fans all around the world would like to offer you their gratitude for the role you played last year in bringing in Shree Cement. It seems a similar crisis is brewing even this season, mostly due to the incompetency and unprofessional behaviour of our officials. This letter is a call for help from the whole East Bengal fraternity. Kindly intervene.”
