SC East Bengal announce Arindam Bhattacharja as captain, Tomislav Mrcela named vice-captain
Arindam Bhattacharja has been handed the command to lead SC East Bengal in the upcoming Hero Indian Super League (ISL) in his first season at the club.
Arindam Bhattacharja has been handed the command to lead SC East Bengal in the upcoming Hero Indian Super League (ISL) in his first season at the club.
The new SCEB joined from cross-town rivals ATK Mohun Bagan ahead of the new campaign. He helped the Mariners almost take the title home last season against Mumbai City FC. For his work in front of the net, he was awarded the Golden Glove after keeping 10 clean sheets in 23 matches.
“It’s a huge honour for me and especially for my family because everyone back home is an East Bengal supporter. I am looking forward to living up to everyone’s expectations and performing to my fullest. Though I stand in goal during the games, I promise to lead from the front and make the fans from all over the world proud of this bunch,” Arindam said.
🚨𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 🚨
— SC East Bengal (@sc_eastbengal) November 13, 2021
𝗔𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗕𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗮 will lead us this #HeroISL season, with 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃 𝗠𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗮 as his deputy.
Jose Manuel Diaz 🗣️Arindam knows what it takes to lead a team. Tomislav too is a natural leader. #WeAreSCEB 🔴🟡 pic.twitter.com/21TA2iwgVn
Tomislav Mrcela - another new signing this season - was given vice-captaincy keeping in mind his wealth of experience and leadership qualities.
“I feel honoured. I just arrived at this club. To get that honour to help to lead the team is a nice thing. It gives me confidence. The only thing I can say is that I will give my best on the field and I will do my best to help to lead the team. Arin(dam) is the captain and I am the vice-captain, but we have a lot of leaders in the team. We have good characters and I am just one of them,” said Mrcela.
SCEB’s head coach, Jose Manuel Diaz said both the players have a lot of experience to bring to their side and have a natural ability to lead.
“I am happy to announce Arindam as captain of the team and Tomislav as vice-captain. They are both exceptional leaders on the pitch and also off it. Arindam has been there in Indian football for a long time and knows what it takes to lead a team like SC East Bengal. Tomi too has vast experience and he is a natural leader. All the players in the squad respect them and I believe they can get the best out of the team,” said Diaz.
SC East Bengal will take on Jamshedpur FC in their opening encounter on November 21 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium.
