East Bengal coach Armando Colaco is not one to mince words and he made his views clear on the proposed schedule of the much-talked about Indian Super League (ISL) which is due to start in September of this year.
“The window is impractical. You cannot have a three-month tournament before the I-League. What if the players get injured? Suppose I spend a good amount on a marquee player and he gets injured while playing in ISL. What would I do then? Then when the I-League begins, the period will be so short that you may end up playing two-three matches a week. I am worried about my players and also the fixture congestion,” he was quoted saying to The Telegraph Kolkata .
He was also vocal about the possibility of an early pre-season due to begin on June 18 owing to the IFA Shield which will begin in the mid of July. The former India coach raised questions on the conditions of the grounds in this period and also explained that the chances of player injuries during this period is very high.
Colaco, who recently ended the protracted saga on whether he would continue as East Bengal coach for a second year, explained that it was the love of the East Bengal supporters that drew him back to the Salt Lake Stadium.
“When I came in November everyone was talking about Trevor James Morgan. But now he is a thing of the past. Nobody talks about Morgan anymore. The supporters have given me the confidence,” he said.
