Mohammedan SC rope in Eze Kingsley, retain eight other players

The Black Panthers are looking to qualify for the I-League 2020-21 season.

Ahead of the I-League 2nd Division qualifying tournament, Mohammedan SC have signed Nigerian defender Eze Kingsley Obumneme.

Kingsley, who is well-versed with Indian football, has decided to join the Black Panthers for the upcoming season in the hope of guiding them to the I-League. The 23-year-old centre-back has previously played for clubs like United SC, Peerless SC, Aizawl FC, Mohun Bagan and Punjab FC. Last season he plied his trade for Punjab FC in the I-League.

The Nigerian also won the I-League title with Aizawl FC in their dream campaign under Khalid Jamil in 2016-17. He then came to Mohun Bagan and in his two-year stint, bagged the Calcutta Football League title in 2018.

Obumneme will strengthen the backlineof the Black Panthers in the qualifying tournament and also in the Calcutta Football League. Mohammedan SC were already cruising on top of Group B in the 2nd Division League last season and were strong contenders to qualify for the I-League. But, the coronavirus pandemic resulted in the league getting called off, dampening the hopes of the supporters.

Apart from signing Kingsley, Mohammedan Sporting have also managed to extend the contracts of some of their best domestic players from last season. Starting from Tirthankar Sarkar, Priyant Singh to the likes of Hira Mondal, Sujit Sadhu, Firoj Ali, Sujoy Dutta, Safiul Rahman and Arijit Singh.

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Mohammedan SC put up a great display under technical director Dipendu Biswas last season, as they finished fourth in the Calcutta Football League, defeating Mohun Bagan and giving a close fight to East Bengal. Therefore, it is clear that they want to keep hold of their local talents and add some foreigners to their cavalry to increase their chances of making it to the I-League and also performing well in the upcoming season.