Kolkata: Former SC East Bengal boss Jose Manuel Diaz has sent a clarification letter, which was published on Friday on SC East Bengal’s official social media accounts after the publication of the interview where he slammed the management for their unprofessionalism in the Indian Super League.
The Spaniard has claimed that the interview published in the Indian Express on January 27 was “manipulated”. In fact, he remarked on how professional the Shree Cement management, particularly Srenik Sett and Col. Shivaji Sammader, had been from his appointment through the ticketing and visa arrangements. He also praised the team’s administration for their efficiency in paying wages on schedule and having a clear goal for the club.
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
— SC East Bengal (@sc_eastbengal) January 28, 2022
However, after SC East Bengal released the media statement, Indian Express, the organisation that conducted the interview with Manuel 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
Diaz in a recent interview with The Indian Express has called the SC East Bengal team management unprofessional. He allegedly described Srenik Sett, an advisor at Shree Cement, as a very “bad professional.”
Diaz further stated that he only proposed two international players in the entire team since the others lacked the necessary skills to compete 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 boss revealed.
