SC East Bengal set to appoint Mario Rivera as next head coach

The club recently parted ways with Manolo Diaz after a long winless run.

After parting ways with Manolo Diaz, SC East Bengal are set to appoint Mario Rivera as their new head coach. Rivera, a former assistant and head coach at the club previously, has already completed his visa formalities and will land in India by Monday night.

Diaz stepped down as the head coach after failing to win a single match with the team. Under the Spaniard, SC East Bengal played eight games and drew and lost four each, keeping them at the bottom of the pile. A day after SC East Bengal's latest draw against Hyderabad FC, the club announced the 53-year-old has left the club. Diaz's compatriot and assistant coach Angel Puebla Garcia also followed suit.

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Third innings of Mario Rivera

The Spaniard joined the Red and Gold Brigade as an assistant coach and video analyst in August 2018 with Alejandro Menendez. However, Rivera left SC East Bengal after just one season owing to some difference in opinion with Alejandro, only to return to the club in January 2020. Rivera took over as the head coach once Alejandro stepped down following the team's poor performance in the I-League. When he took the charge, SC East Bengal were languishing at the bottom of the table. Mario's tactical brilliancy helped in the resurgence of the team and they finished second behind arch-rivals Mohun Bagan in the 2019-20 I-League season.

Mario Rivera started his coaching career as the head coach of the Leganes U-19 team. He has also served as the video analyst of the Atletico Madrid C squad and has experience in managing teams like Union Collado and CD Los Yebenes. He was also the head coach of the Brunei U-21 team.

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SC East Bengal's performance ISL 2021-22

The ongoing 2021-22 season has been a nightmare for SC East Bengal. With four losses and as many draws, they are currently languishing at the bottom of the table. Having been with the club previously, Mario knows the pulse of the supporters from Kolkata as he also had a short spell at the club in 2020.

Despite reaching India on Monday, the Spaniard will not be able to take charge immediately. After landing in India, Mario Rivera has to undergo a quarantine period. Renedy Singh will be in charge of the side for their match against Bengaluru FC. SC East Bengal have also decided to call back Subho Ghosh and Songpu Singsit in order to strengthen the squad, both of whom had moved out of the bio-bubble in Goa ahead of the season.

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