The 2021–22 season was the 102nd season of Sporting Club East Bengal (EB or SCEB) and their second season in the Indian Super League. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021–22 Indian Super League season began on 19 November 2021 and ended on 20 March 2022 with all the matches held in Goa across three venues just like the previous season.
Background
The 2021–22 season is once again set to be played entirely in Goa due to COVID-19 pandemic. The league committee also announced that the number of foreign players that can be registered and fielded is to be reduced, with four foreign players in the playing eleven and a maximum of six can be registered, one of which should be from an Asian nation.
On 8 June, East Bengal Club was handed a transfer ban by FIFA for non-payment of dues for former player Johnny Acosta. The club was also uncertain to participate in the 2020–21 season of Indian Super League as the row between the club and their prime investor group was yet to resolve which threatened their participation in any footballing activity for the season. The AIFF and the FSDL had asked the club authorities to sort out the mess between the club and the investor group soon. East Bengal coach Robbie Fowler too expressed his dissatisfaction over the issue and slammed the club officials for their delay in signing the final termsheet. On 25 June, the club announced that they have cleared off the dues for Johnny Acosta and hence expect the transfer ban to be uplifted by FIFA soon. On 5 July, FIFA officially uplifted the transfer ban on East Bengal, however, the club was on the verge of facing another transfer ban due to non-payment of dues for three more former players: Rakshit Dagar, Pintu Mahata and Abhash Thapa. On 6 August, The All India Football Federation handed another transfer ban to East Bengal due to the non-payment of dues for the three aforementioned players. On 26 August, the transfer ban was lifted by the AIFF after SC East Bengal cleared the dues for the three players.
Due to the tussle between the club and the investor group, East Bengal lost out on a few of their star performers from last season including Bright Enobakhare, Debjit Majumder, Sarthak Golui, Narayan Das and Matti Steinmann. The fans put up a huge protest in front of the club premises on 21 July demanding an immediate solution for the situation. On 25 August, the long-running tussle between the club and the investor group finally came to a solution after a mediatory intervention by the Chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, and it was announced that the club will be participating in the 2021–22 Indian Super League with Shree Cement staying on as the investors.
Transfers
Incoming DateNameSigned fromFeeRef 31 August 2021 2 DF Daniel Gomes Salgaocar Undisclosed 31 August 2021 17 DF Sarineo Fernandes Goa Undisclosed 2 September 2021 19 MF Romeo Fernandes Goa Free Transfer 3 September 2021 20 DF Hira Mondal Mohammedan Free Transfer 3 September 2021 12 DF Joyner Lourenco Jamshedpur Free Transfer 6 September 2021 29 GK Arindam Bhattacharya ATK Mohun Bagan Free Transfer 7 September 2021 18 MF Sourav Das Mumbai City Free Transfer 7 September 2021 16 MF Songpu Singsit Neroca Free Transfer 7 September 2021 24 FW Thongkhosiem Haokip Bengaluru Free Transfer 9 September 2021 82 DF Lalrinliana Hnamte Hyderabad Free Transfer 11 September 2021 21 MF Amir Dervišević Maribor Free Transfer 14 September 2021 4 DF Tomislav Mrcela Perth Glory Free Transfer 15 September 2021 71 DF Franjo Prce Slaven Belupo Free Transfer 16 September 2021 27 FW Daniel Chima Chukwu Taizhou Yuanda Free Transfer 17 September 2021 6 MF Darren Sidoel Córdoba Free Transfer 23 September 2021 7 FW Antonio Perošević Újpest Free Transfer 7 October 2021 45 DF Saikhom Goutam Singh Hyderabad II Free Transfer 7 October 2021 43 FW Siddhant Shirodkar Calangute Association Free Transfer 7 October 2021 26 DF Akashdeep Singh Kahlon Sudeva Delhi Free Transfer 25 January 2022 77 MF Fran Sota Calahorra Free Transfer 27 January 2022 99 FW Rahul Paswan BSS Free Transfer 12 February 2022 30 DF Ananta Tamang Three Star Club Free Transfer
Loan in Start dateEnd dateNameLoaned fromRef 30 August 2021 End of season 80 MF Amarjit Singh Kiyam Goa 31 August 2021 End of season 5 FD Adil Khan Hyderabad 31 August 2021 End of season 10 MF Jackichand Singh Mumbai City 31 August 2021 End of season 11 FW Subha Ghosh Kerala Blasters 31 August 2021 End of season 13 FW Naorem Mahesh Singh Kerala Blasters 10 January 2022 End of season 9 FW Marcelo Ribeiro Gil Vicente 31 January 2022 End of season 50 DF Naocha Singh Mumbai City
Outgoing Exit DateNameSigned toFeeRef 1 June 2021 MF Brandon Vanlalremdika Mohammedan Released 1 June 2021 DF Rino Anto Roundglass Punjab Released 1 June 2021 DF Gurtej Singh Roundglass Punjab Released 1 June 2021 DF Soraisam Pritam Singh Hyderabad Released 1 June 2021 MF Prakash Sarkar Calcutta Customs Released 1 June 2021 DF Calum Woods Bala Town Released 1 June 2021 DF Keegan Pereira Roundglass Punjab Released 1 June 2021 LB Sagolsem Bikash Singh TRAU Released 1 June 2021 4 DF Danny Fox Released 1 June 2021 10 FW Bright Enobakhare Coventry City Released 1 June 2021 12 MF Jeje Lalpekhlua Released 1 June 2021 16 DF Rana Gharami Bengaluru United Released 1 June 2021 17 MF Yumnam Singh Bengaluru United Released 1 June 2021 18 MF Eugeneson Lyngdoh Released 1 June 2021 19 MF Jacques Maghoma Spalding United Released 1 June 2021 20 FW Aaron Amadi-Holloway Burton Albion Released 1 June 2021 21 LB Narayan Das Chennaiyin Released 1 June 2021 22 MF Anthony Pilkington Fleetwood Town Released 1 June 2021 24 GK Debjit Majumder Chennaiyin Released 1 June 2021 26 MF Sehnaj Singh NorthEast United Released 1 June 2021 27 RB Lalramchullova Mohammedan Released 1 June 2021 28 FW Girik Khosla Sreenidi Deccan Released 1 June 2021 29 MF Surchandra Singh Real Kashmir Released 1 June 2021 30 FW C. K. Vineeth Roundglass Punjab Released 1 June 2021 32 GK Mirshad Michu NorthEast United Released 1 June 2021 34 FW Harmanpreet Singh Bengaluru Released 1 June 2021 35 MF Milan Singh Mohammedan Released 1 June 2021 70 DF Sarthak Golui Bengaluru Released 16 June 2021 6 CM Matti Steinmann Brisbane Roar Free Transfer 8 November 2021 CB Asheer Akhtar Mohammedan Released 15 January 2022 27 FW Daniel Chima Chukwu Jamshedpur Free Transfer 25 January 2022 21 MF Amir Dervišević Released 17 February 2022 4 DF Tomislav Mrcela WS Wanderers Released
Team
First-team squad
No.NameDate of Birth (Age)Goalkeepers1Sankar RoyGK ATK Mohun Bagan 6 025Suvam SenGK United 5 029Arindam Bhattacharya (captain)GK ATK Mohun Bagan 11 0Defenders2Daniel GomesCB Salgaocar 2 05Adil Khan (vice-captain)CB Hyderabad 14 012Joyner LourencoCB Jamshedpur 11 017Sarineo FernandesLB Goa 0 020Hira MondalLB Mohammedan Sporting 16 026Akashdeep Singh KahlonRB Sudeva Delhi 0 030Ananta TamangCB Three Star Club 1 045Saikhom Goutam SinghCB/RB Hyderabad II 0 047Raju GaikwadCB/RB Kerala Blasters 90 150Naocha SinghLB Mumbai City 5 055Ankit MukherjeeRB ATK Mohun Bagan 18 071Franjo PrceCB/LB Slaven Belupo 15 1Midfielders6Darren SidoelDM Córdoba 11 38Mohammed RafiqueCM Mumbai City 116 1010Jackichand SinghRW Mumbai City 14 014Wahengbam AngousanaCM TRAU 28 016Songpu SingsitLW Neroca 2 018Sourav DasCM Mumbai City 21 019Romeo FernandesRW Goa 9 022Lalrinliana HnamteDM Hyderabad 17 123Bikash JairuLW Jamshedpur 49 633Loken MeiteiCM/LW TRAU 1 077Fran SotaCM Calahorra 5 080Amarjit Singh KiyamDM Goa 16 0Forwards7Antonio PeroševićFW Újpest 14 49Marcelo RibeiroFW Gil Vicente 6 011Subha GhoshFW Kerala Blasters 3 013Naorem Mahesh SinghFW Kerala Blasters 18 215Balwant SinghFW ATK 8 024Thongkhosiem HaokipFW Bengaluru 20 343Siddhant ShirodkarFW Calangute Association 1 099Rahul PaswanFW BSS 1 0
New contracts No.Pos.DateNameRef. 55 DF 29 August 2021 Ankit Mukherjee 47 DF 29 August 2021 Raju Gaikwad 1 GK 30 August 2021 Sankar Roy
Coaching staff
On 8 September, East Bengal announced that the club has mutually terminated the contract with coach Robbie Fowler, and announced the arrival of former Real Madrid Castilla coach Manolo Díaz as the new head coach for the season. East Bengal also appointed former Real Madrid coach Angel Puebla Garcia as the assistant coach. He will also be fulfilling the responsibilities of a strength and fitness coach. The club also announced that Renedy Singh will be continuing his role as the assistant coach. East Bengal appointed Malaysian fitness coach Joseph Ronald D'Angelus as the head of sport science, and former Chelsea and Crystal Palace coach Leslie Cleevely as the goalkeeping coach for the season. On 28 September, East Bengal announced the signing of former head-coach Mridul Banerjee as the team manager. On 11 November, East Bengal announced that they have parted ways with Joseph Ronald D'Angelus due to some personal reasons.
On 28 December, East Bengal announced that they have parted ways with head coach Manolo Díaz and assistant Angel Puebla Garcia after they failed to win even one game in their eight-match tenure. Renedy Singh has been appointed as the interim head coach of the team. On 1 January, East Bengal announced that former head coach Mario Rivera Campesino has been appointed as the new head coach for the season. On 16 January, East Bengal announced that goalkeeper coach Les Cleevely would leave his position and return home for personal reasons and he would be replaced by Mihir Sawant. On 6 February, East Bengal announced the appointment of Victor Herrero Forcada as the assistant coach for the remainder of the season.
PositionName Head coach Mario Rivera Campesino Assistant coach Victor Herrero Forcada Strength & Conditioning coach Rudra Pratim Roy Goalkeeping coach Mihir Sawant Team Manager Mridul Banerjee
Kit East Bengal launched its kits for the season on 6 November 2021. The traditional red and gold fields, vertically split into two halves returned after four seasons as the home kit. The away kit is white with red and gold trim on the collar, sleeves, and bottom of the shirt. The third kit is an evolution of last season's away kit, paying tribute to Bengal's love for fish and East Bengal's connection with Ilish (Hilsa).
Preseason East Bengal started their squad building for the new season late, only after the settlement between the club and the investor group on 25 August. Hira Mondal became the first recruit of the window from Mohammedan Sporting. On 29 August, the club signed the former India U-17 captain Amarjit Singh Kiyam on a season-long loan from Goa. The club also roped in young left-back Sarineo Fernandes from Goa and Sourav Das from Mumbai City on a permanent transfer. On 31 August, the deadline day, East Bengal signed a handful of players: Songpu Singsit from Neroca, Romeo Fernandes from Goa, Joyner Lourenco from Jamshedpur, Thongkhosiem Haokip from Bengaluru, Daniel Gomes from Salgaocar, Subha Ghosh and Naorem Mahesh Singh on loan from Kerala Blasters, Jackichand Singh on loan from Mumbai City, and Adil Khan on loan from Hyderabad. On 6 September, East Bengal announced the signing of 2020–21 Indian Super League golden gloves winning goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya in a free-transfer from ATK Mohun Bagan.
On 11 September, East Bengal announced their first foreign signing of the season as they roped in Slovenian midfielder Amir Dervišević from NK Maribor on a free transfer. East Bengal also roped in former Perth Glory defender Tomislav Mrcela, former Lazio defender Franjo Prce, Nigerian forward Daniel Chima Chukwu, former Ajax under–19 captain Darren Sidoel, and Croatian forward Antonio Perošević as the foreign signings for the season.