Bengaluru FC CEO Mandar Tamhane: We are definitely not investing in East Bengal

The top executive of the Blues also commented on the club’s association with The Sports School for a scholarship program.

Bengaluru FC’s CEO Mandar Tamhane has clarified that the JSW Group is not looking to invest in East Bengal FC. However, he also mentioned that they would welcome the Red and Gold to the Indian Super League, as it will intensify the rivalry and competition among the teams.

These notions emerged recently after Parth Jindal, the CEO of JSW Sports, tweeted in support of East Bengal’s induction into the premier football league of the country. Jindal had expressed, “Come on East Bengal FC, come in to the Indian Super League now already – you’re the only thing missing from the league now.”

This statement was in relation to the announcement of the details of the coming together of ATK and Mohun Bagan. The 80% acquisition of the Mariners by the RPSG Group was announced in January, 2020 itself. However, the name, logo and the jersey of the new entity was disclosed last Friday.

Tamhane swiftly cleared the hearsay that sprung out of Jindal’s tweet. In a virtual conference with journalists, the CEO remarked, “We are definitely not investing in East Bengal and we would definitely not like to invest in East Bengal. What we would like is if they could be a part of the Indian Super League, we would be more than happy because that would improve the rivalry between the clubs that are involved.”

He further asserted, “But, that entirely depends on them and not on us. So, we definitely won’t be investing in them.” Additionally, Bengaluru FC have associated with The Sports School for a scholarship program that caters to students from the U-13, U-15 and U-18 age brackets. This initiative will cover both the academic and sports aspect of the selected individuals and aid them in harnessing their potential to become better athletes.

Tamhane mentioned, “Our association with The Sports School has enabled us to see a lot more children who have potential in the sport and this scholarship program is one of our most important initiatives as a club.” He also proclaimed that they (Bengaluru FC and JSW Group) have always aimed to provide a clear pathway to players who can make it to the top.

This collaboration with The Sports School seems to be a promising move in the same direction.

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