Explained: Oscar Bruzon's allegations against East Bengal's 'Master'
Former East Bengal coach Oscar Bruzon lashes out on the ongoing social media controversy.
Oscar Bruzon, who guided East Bengal FC to their maiden Indian Super League (ISL) title, has now publicly expressed his discontent over a social media post and had also questioned the intentions behind it.
Meanwhile, East Bengal FC have issued a statement and have also urged the supporters to refrain from this type of provocative content related to the club and their former head coach.
Here is a timeline of how the controversy unfolded.
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June 1, 2026: Oscar Bruzon announced his departure from East Bengal FC
Under the watchful eyes of Bruzon, East Bengal FC finished the ISL 2025-26 season with 26 points from 13 games, finishing at the summit of the points table. Bruzon’s man management, tactical acumen, and visionary player signing proved to be crucial in transforming the Red and Gold Brigade into one of the title contenders prior to the onset of the recent campaign.
The Spaniard took charges of the Red and Gold Brigade in the mid-2024-25 season following Carles Cuadrat’s exit. Since joining the iconic club, East Bengal FC have undergone a massive change in terms of winning mentality, do-or-die character in demanding situations, and ultimately clinching the elusive silverware.
Oscar Bruzon had announced his departure from the Kolkata giants through a social media post on June 1, 2026, Monday.
September 10, 2026: A fan-page post sparks the latest controversy
Several months have passed away; after his departure, Oscar found himself at the centre of a fresh controversy involving a social media post by QEBNA, an East Bengal-related fan page.
At present, Oscar Bruzon is the head coach of Bhayangkara Presisi Lampung FC, which is a professional football club based in Indonesia. And on the other hand, East Bengal after winning their maiden ISL title, have started a new journey under their new head coach, Antonio Lopez Habas.
East Bengal is once again chasing their ‘Asian Dream’ and will represent India in the AFC Champions League Two and they have already won their 17th Durand Cup title after 22 years under the leadership of their new head coach, Antonio Habas.
Now coming to the issue, the social media post of that particular fan page named QEBNA contained some sarcastic or critical content directed at the former head coach of the Torchbearers. Oscar Bruzon responded in the comments section, expressing his discontent and questioning the motive behind the post.
Bruzon said, “These posts are being made to fulfil some kind of individual interests, part of the management agenda and are the examples of the so-called double standards.”
“I also believe that the admins of this page named QEBNA has some kind of relationships with the club as well, he also added.”
This incident quickly gained attention among the fanbase of the Red and Gold Brigade, with several speculations moving beyond the fan page and also towards the club’s management.
Amidst all these incidents, Bruzon’s comments added a new dimension to what intially appeared to be a social media exchange between a former coach and a fan page.
In the meantime, former assistant coach of East Bengal FC Adrian Rubio and fitness trainer Javier Sanchez have raised their complaints to FIFA as some of their fees have not been paid yet by the East Bengal FC management. And if East Bengal doesn’t sort this issue at the earliest, they may face a transfer ban as per FIFA guidelines.
September 10, 2026: East Bengal issues an official statement
As the controversy gathered momentum, East Bengal released an official statement distancing itself from the social media row.
The club stated: “Certain individuals were attempting to use East Bengal’s name to create confusion and controversy surrounding Oscar Bruzon. We can clarify that the management had no connection with such kind of provocative activities regarding the former coach and the club’s management.”
“Oscar Bruzon’s contribution to our club is immense and we will be grateful to him forever for guiding us to the historic ISL triumph.”
“We are also requesting our fans not to participate in unnecessary social media disputes of such provocative contents from such entities.”
“The club management also stated that it had no interest in commenting on how Oscar selected players or managed his team during his tenure. Instead we urge our amago fans to continue supporting the club with passion and dignity, they finished off with.”
September 11, 2026: Oscar Bruzon escalates allegations with fresh social-media post
The controversy took another new turn on Friday, September 11, 2026 afternoon, as Oscar reportedly made further serious allegations through social media.
In his latest comments, the former East Bengal head coach referred to an individual as “the Master” and claimed that the person had allegedly suggested that refereeing decisions would favour East Bengal in the final match of the 2025-26 ISL season.
Oscar stated: “Success was never in his interest. For the first time, the ‘Master’ had no meaningful involvement in building the squad. A successful season would therefore have demonstrated that the Club could operate effectively without his influence over recruitment and sporting decisions. Emami recognized how much money had previously been wasted on player transactions and decided to professionalize the scouting and recruitment process.”
“Emami recognised how much money had previously been wasted on player transactions and decided to professionalise the scouting and recruitment process. In my view, this directly threatened the existing system. The “Master” consistently appeared to support players connected to his own network, lobby and preferred brokers- particularly where those operations could reinforce his influence.”
“This type of agenda is not unique to one club; it is a familiar pattern in poorly structured football organisations where recruitment lacks transparency and proper governance. The model depends on constantly rotating players through successive transfer windows: build up new signings, later discredit them when convenient, and then justify another cycle of recruitment.”
“Expensive names and high-profile transactions can become more important than identifying players who genuinely improve the team. At the same time, professionals who arrive independently-outside the established network of preferred agents and brokers-can face criticism almost from the
moment they enter the Club. The result is a system in which continuous player turnover becomes normalised while sporting performance and long-term squad building become secondary.”
“Regaining control required the sporting project to fail. My assessment is that poor results would create the conditions for the ‘Master’ to regain influence over player recruitment and transactions. Following my decision not to accept the renewal offer, we have seen him recover significant influence over those operations this season.”
“The Ramadan scheduling raised serious questions. During Ramadan, our matches were scheduled at 3:00 p.m. despite having four players fasting. We knew that competing under those conditions could
negatively affect their physical performance. Whether this was deliberate or not, it clearly worked against the sporting interests of the team.”
“There was also pressure regarding the timing of the derby after the March FIFA window. At that stage, we had several injured players. My perception was that an early setback in the title race would create the ideal conditions for months of criticism, instability and chaos around the team.”
“Information from inside the coaching staff was being leaked. Individuals placed within or around the staff were feeding internal information to media outlets aligned with the ‘Master.’ Once we identified the sources of those leaks, they were removed from the relevant internal communication groups.”
“After the draw against Kerala, when we conceded in the final minute, a protest demanding my dismissal was organised by people aligned with him. Rather than supporting the team through a difficult result, the situation was immediately used to generate public pressure against the coaching staff.”
“I had to remove the “Master” from the dressing room on several occasions. He entered the dressing room to criticise players and members of the coaching staff, creating tension and undermining the working environment. I considered that unacceptable and intervened to protect the team.”
“Before the final match of the season, the ‘Master’ told several members of the staff that the referee would be on our side. That claim proved completely false. Anyone who watched the match could see that the referee conducted the game independently. The episode nevertheless illustrates the type of narrative and misinformation that was circulating internally.”
“His travelling with the team was, in my experience, less about supporting the squad than maintaining influence. He repeatedly sought access to information and proximity to the team while internal details continued to reach media outlets closely aligned with him.”
“The systematic leaking of technical information was particularly damaging. We were repeatedly told that the Club could not control what the media published about our training sessions, tactical systems and probable line-ups. I find that explanation difficult to accept.”
“Mohun Bagan trained on an adjacent pitch without suffering the same constant exposure. Our technical information was repeatedly leaked, creating unnecessary public debate about who should play, which system we should use and how the team should perform.”
Oscar wrote about ‘The Bigger Picture’, stating, “Taken individually, each incident might be dismissed as coincidence, disagreement or normal internal politics. Taken together, however, they reveal what I believe was a consistent pattern: undermine the independence of the sporting project, control the flow of information, generate instability when influence was threatened, and ultimately regain control over football operations.”
“The fundamental issue was never one individual coach. It was a struggle over whether sporting decisions should be made professionally and independently, or remain subject to an informal network of influence surrounding the Club, he also added.”
East Bengal has responded to Bruzon’s allegations. One of the main club officials of the Red and Gold Brigade Mr. Debabrata Sarkar, commonly known as ‘Nitu Da’ in Kolkata Maidan, however, did not say anything harsh against the former coach.
Regarding Bruzon’s allegations, he said, “We are proud of the service he gave us. He gave us the ISL. The footballers certainly have their credit. But at the same time, he also has his credit.”
“I am one of the few people who played a role in bringing him to East Bengal as the coach. I will not comment on this. I do not want to embarrass him. I do not want to be embarrassed myself. He will always remain in our hearts, he finished off with.”
September 12, 2026: Oscar Bruzon is asking who benefits from keeping this conflict alive
Oscar Bruzon breaks his silence again regarding the ongoing controversy with his former club, East Bengal FC after club’s response and urges the East Bengal fans to ask few questions as well to the management.
He stated: “My decision not to continue was not a rejection of East Bengal. It reflected my conclusion that the sporting project could not progress under conditions in which internal interference and short-term interests were incompatible with the professional structure and continuity required by a major club.”
“East Bengal supporters should ask a simple question: who benefits from keeping this conflict alive? They should also ask why professionals can be celebrated while they serve a particular internal agenda and then be portrayed as enemies when they act independently or leave the Club.”
“This statement is not an invitation to attack Nitu Da or anyone else. It is a request for accountability and an end to personal harassment. Supporters should demand facts from every side, including mine, and refuse to become instruments in internal political disputes.”
“East Bengal has already experienced the consequences of allowing internal politics to take priority over football. Returning to those methods risks returning the Club to some of its darkest sporting periods. The Club needs professional recruitment, sporting independence, continuity and clear accountability. No coach, official, broker or self-appointed power centre should be bigger than East Bengal.”
“My chapter at East Bengal is finished. I am proud of what we achieved and I have moved forward professionally. I have no interest in fighting the Club. However, when attacks follow me into my new working environment, I have the right to defend my reputation and state publicly where I believe responsibility lies.”
“To the genuine East Bengal supporters, you have my respect. Protect the Club. Demand professionalism. Judge every claim by the evidence, he finished off with.”
What does the controversy mean for East Bengal?
Whether or not these claims are true, it is only for what will surely be a long trial to decide.
The proof
Replying to a post on X, Oscar Bruzon stated “WhatsApp conversations are there, my staff and I have the evidence and we are ready to release with the support of our lawyers, you can continue #bot #paidbot or #fakeprofile as evidence will expose the agenda in a way you could never imagine.”
For East Bengal, the immediate priority will be to ensure that all these controversies does not affect their ongoing AFC campaign as well as other preparations of the Men’s team on the pitch.
But on the other hand, Oscar Bruzon’s latest comments suggests that his emotions surrounding his former club and his time in Kolkata remains strong and very much active as well.
How long did Oscar Bruzon coach East Bengal FC?
Oscar Bruzon was the head coach of East Bengal FC between 2024 – 2026.
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