East Bengal's technical director Subhash Bhowmick sentenced to three years in prison

In an unfortunate turn of events for East Bengal club, their technical director was sentenced to three-year in prison by Alipore Judge’s Court owing to bribery charges on Monday. But the former player was given bail soon due to various medical reasons. "The evidence placed by the investigators has proven that the allegation against the accused (Bhowmick) is justified," said CBI judge Siddhartha Roy Chowdhury. He was charged under Sections 7 (Public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration and also under 13 1/B (Criminal misconduct by a public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case dates back to 2005 when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Subhash on the grounds of accepting bribes from a Kolkata-based company when he worked in the central excise department. After the court proceedings continued for 13 years, the verdict was finally given. As per the investigations of the CBI, the former India International was about to receive Rs. 4 lakhs as a bribe but after further talks and negotiations the amount was reduced to Rs. 1.4 lakhs. The investigators caught the convict when he was about to receive the bribe. The last when he was arrested, he was the coach of East Bengal but was removed from his post after the news of his arrest spread around. The veteran is one of the most successful managers in Indian football with a number of trophies won with various teams. During his second stint with East Bengal, he won consecutive National Football League (NFL) titles in 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Also read: Mohun Bagan legends to play against FC Barcelona legends on 28th September in Kolkata Not only that, he also led the Red and Gold brigade to successful Kolkata League, Durand Cup and IFA Shield titles. But the highlight of his coaching career is steering the Kolkata giants to the ASEAN Club Cup title in 2003. He also coached clubs like Salgaoncar S.C, Mohun Bagan and won the I-League with Churchill Brothers S.C in 2012-13. After a forgettable 2017-18 I-League season, Subhash Bhowmick was appointed as the technical director ahead of the Indian Super Cup. Although East Bengal lost in the final of the tournament, Bhowmick was kept for the next season. With the Kolkata Football League to kick-off next month, East Bengal will be hoping that their mastermind will soon return to his duty soon!