East Bengal Football Club In Talks With Manchester United For Ownership: Sourav Ganguly

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying by PTI that talks are on with EPL giants Manchester United and a few others and the picture will be much more clear in about two weeks.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly ( Image Source :Getty Images )

New Delhi: One of India's oldest football clubs East Bengal Football Club, struggling both on and off the field, is reportedly in talks for ownership with some of the world's biggest clubs, including English Premier League (EPL) major Manchester United (MU). If the deal turns out to be successful, it could turn out to be a game-changing move for the century-old East Bengal club which is finding it really tough to keep its ties intact with the investors in recent times. 

As per a report in PTI, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, is playing a key role in fulfilling this agreement between the two parties. Ganguly was quoted as saying by PTI that talks are on with EPL giants Manchester United and a few others and the picture will be much more clear in about two weeks.

East Bengal was also in talks with the Bangladesh-based Basundhara Group, but no settlement was reached.

Ganguly was attending a promotional event on Tuesday when he gave his first reaction regarding the possible negotiations, and said, "Yes we have spoken to them and others also. It will take 10-12 more days to know who will be the entity.

Asked whether the European football giants are coming as an investor, the Indian cricket icon said: "No-no (they are coming) as an owner."

Ganguly however refused to delve further into it.

"It takes some time. First, let it reach a stage then we will make a comment. I will speak only after there's a concrete development," Ganguly said.

The team's performance has been affected due to off-field issues. Bengaluru's Quess Corp ended its tie with the team early after two years despite a three-year deal, jeopardizing their ISL entry. When the club failed to find investors in the ISL 2020-21 season, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee emerged as a life-saver for East Bengal by helping them secure a last-minute entry in ISL 2020-21, following a pact with Shree Cement Ltd. 

This association, however, did not hold true for East Bengal as their executive committee refused to sign the final agreement, claiming discrepancies in the agreement.

Due to these controversies and lack of preparation, the team finished ninth playing its maiden season of the ISL. Things got worse from here as the club finished bottom of the table in their last ISL season.

(With PTI Inputs)