Nine SC East Bengal players have moved the player status committee (PSC) of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) complaining of non-payment of salary for the last few months.
Most of the players’ contracts ended on Monday, except that of Balwant Singh, who had signed a two-year deal.
If the players win their case, then liabilities will keep piling for the club irrespective of whether investor Shree Cement stays on board or not. Already, the club has to shell out in crores after Indian players of Quess East Bengal approached the PSC regarding payment irregularities and got a verdict in their favour. A transfer ban was imposed but later revoked following an appeal by SC East Bengal. The two-window transfer ban came for non-payment of salaries to footballers like Pintu Mahata, Gurwinder Singh, Abhas Thapa and Rakshit Dagar.
Some of the foreign players like Spaniard Jaime Colado and support staff, who played during Quess East Bengal days, had also gone to Fifa’s dispute resolution chamber (DRC) regarding salary payment. Colado has already won his case.
Among the nine players are CK Vineeth, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Abhishek Ambekar. These players were signed during the transitory period when Shree Cement was yet to join as investor and played some role during the ISL VII.
Girik Khosla is the only player who did not play any part in the league.
Shree Cement and East Bengal are locked in a bitter tussle over signing of the final agreement with both sides refusing to yield an inch.
On Monday, Shree Cement replied to the club’s letter mailed on Sunday. “It’s more or less on the lines of the one sent on Friday. Let us know when the club will sign the final agreement. If they do not want to sign then that should also be intimated to us,” a Shree Cement representative said.
Amrinder for Bagan
While SC East Bengal are in the news for all the wrong reasons, ATK Mohun Bagan bolstered their side by roping in India goalkeeper Amrinder Singh from Mumbai City FC on a five-year deal.
The 27-year-old is currently in Doha as part of the national team for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches. He was with the then ATK on loan in 2015.
“Even though I played in Calcutta before, it was for a very short time. This joining, of course, is going to be a new chapter in my football career,” Amrinder was quoted as saying by an ATK Mohun Bagan media release.
