Ahead of the 2023-23 Indian Super League season, Mohun Bagan Super Giant named Antonio Lopez Habas of Spain as the team's new Technical Director on Friday. Habas is back in India after managing ATK Mohun Bagan in the Hero ISL 2021–22 season. The Spaniard is the first manager to win two Hero ISL championships. He started his career in the 2014 season with Atletico de Kolkata, becoming the first head coach to win the ISL championship.
"Along with making a powerful first-team side, Mohun Bagan Super Giant wants to stress youth development with the aim of producing first-team players from the various age-group sides. Habas will be in charge of technical instructions for all sides. The development side is currently training for the Calcutta League," the club said in a statement.
Habas worked with FC Pune City for a while before joining ATK FC and guiding it to the 2019–20 Hero ISL championship. The next year, he took over as coach of ATK Mohun Bagan, and that year, he led the team to the ISL finals. Midway through the 2021–22 season, he split from the Mariners.
With two ISL championships and one runner-up finish, Habas has made a name for himself as one of the league's most well-respected managers. He is favoured by the crowd because of his perfect record versus East Bengal in the Kolkata derby.
The 66-year-old will take up the position of technical director as his newest challenge. Earlier in his career, he served as Valencia's and Bolivia's national coach.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant had a decent ISL season this year as they managed to finish in the top three. They managed to win 10 games out of 20 and four games resulted in draws. Being one of the biggest clubs in India, the Mariners would look to improve and get their hands on the title under the new management.
