East Bengal has signed its merger deal with Emami Group after months of speculations, and the journey of Emami East Bengal has now officially begun. The iconic 103-year-old Kolkata club, which recently celebrated its Foundation Day on August 1, are set to play as East Bengal FC in the 2022 edition of the Indian Super League. According to the deal, East Bengal club will own 23% of the new entity while the remaining 77% will be under Emami Group’s ownership.
East Bengal had been going through a rough patch for the past few years owing to problems with the club’s sponsors and stakeholders. However, things are expected to turn around post this deal agreement. Regarding the new collaboration, Emami Group’s Director, Manish Goenka, said, “It’s a great honour to join hands with East Bengal. We (Emami Group) are based in Kolkata. I would say two giants of Kolkata are joining hands and I am sure and confident that this will be a huge success.”
The new joint venture will have a total of 10 board members, with three from the club and seven from Emami Group. Here’s a look at the new logo of Emami East Bengal:
The club recently appointed Stephen Constantine, the former coach of the Indian football team, as its new manager. The 59-year-old Englishman has the required experience in Indian football, and can be a valuable addition to the Kolkata side.
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Fans of East Bengal can breathe a sigh of relief since Emami has agreed to field the team as East Bengal FC, having already witnessed the fiasco between fans of their city-rivals Mohun Bagan and its owners when the latter was renamed as ATK Mohun Bagan post its merger with the now-defunct ATK (Atlético de Kolkata).
Notably, East Bengal and Emami Group have prior experience of working together, with the latter being EB’s title sponsor in 1996-97, when the club finished third in the National Football League (rechristened as the I-League in 2007).
