East Bengal aim for ISL entry like rivals Mohun Bagan after shareholder Quess exits club

I-League club East Bengal's bid for playing in the Indian Super League (ISL) received a major boost after the club received sporting rights from their former investors Quess Corp. Quess Corp were the major investors in East Bengal since 2018 and according to a report in The Fan Garage, the fallout between the two over the last year has seen the relationship between East Bengal officials and Quess Corp management worsen.

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How will acquiring sporting rights benefit I League club East Bengal?

The split with Quess Corp will allow the century-old club to find a new sponsor. Apart from bringing in new sponsor, East Bengal will also be able to complete for club licensing formalities which will make them eligible to play in either the Indian Super League or in the I-League.

Also Read: East Bengal Will Surely And Soon Join ISL: Top Club Official

East Bengal and Quess Corp officials issue statement after split

East Bengal's top official Debabrata Sarkar while talking to PTI said the termination is done without commenting on a potential new investor. Meanwhile, Quess Corp in their statement said that the agreement with East Bengal was ended mutually. The statement further added that only the formalities pertaining to termination of the JV agreement between Quess, QEBFC and EBC were concluded on July 17. Consequent to this the sporting rights have been returned to the club and the shares held by the club in QEBFC have been returned to Quess.

Also Read: ISL 2020-21 To Be Played Behind Closed Doors Either In Kerala Or Goa: Report

New Sponsor for I League club East Bengal?

On Friday, a report in Times of India stated that a Singapore-based company has shown interest in East Bengal. As per the report, Universal Success Enterprises Limited (USEL) owned by Kolkata-born NRI Prasoon Mukherjee has shown interest in the club. The report also states that if the deal goes through, USEL will invest ₹260 crore.

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East Bengal to soon join rival I League club Mohun Bagan in ISL 

Now that the doors for joining the ISL are open, East Bengal could soon find themselves featuring alongside fierce rivals Mohun Bagan. ISL club ATK announced their merger with Mohun Bagan in January this year along with keeping the iconic green and maroon colours and the Mariners' sailing boat logo with just the addition of the new name of the three-time Indian Super League champions.

Apart from joining the ISL bandwagon, Mohun Bagan also appointed current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly as the director of ATK-Mohun Bagan team. The news regarding the same was confirmed by Utsav Parekh who serves as one of the co-owners of the ATK Mohun Bagan team. Parekh, while speaking to PTI, said that since Sourav Ganguly is one of the initial co-owners of ATK, he is "100 percent eligible" to become a director. 

(COVER IMAGE: EAST BENGAL / INSTAGRAM)