Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Juan Ferrando said the All India Football Federation suppressed facts by under-reporting the injury of its key midfielder Ashique Kuruniyan. According to the club, the winger suffered a hamstring tear and is likely to miss the first few matches in the AFC Cup and ISL.
“The Federation (AIFF) reported Ashique’s injury as a knock, but now we can see that it is not and is something serious. He will be undergoing more scans and tests and then we will be in a position to make a decision,” Ferrando said during the ISL media-day interaction on Wednesday.
Mohun Bagan’s Spanish coach felt that the injury was going to upset his team’s plans. “Every player is important to the squad, and if one gets injured before the start of the tournament then it can upset the team’s plans,” Ferrando added.
With the ISL-9 title and the Durand Cup already under his belt, Ferrando said that he was hoping that Mohun Bagan SG becomes the first team to retain the ISL title.
“The task is very difficult and the expectations are high. But, I am happy to have such a good squad. This is a new challenge for us to retain the title. I hope we become the first team this time to retain the ISL trophy,” Ferrando said.
East Bengal, the other Kolkata giant looking to make its mark in the ISL, is upbeat under its new Spanish coach Carles Cuadrat. “We have been in the ISL for three seasons and things haven’t gone well for the club. We are here to try to change the dynamics. We have a lot of supporters and a huge legacy to this club. We will try to put in more hard work to improve the performance and get positive results for the supporters,” said Cuadrat, who helped Bengaluru FC win the ISL title in 2019.
