Picture Credit: Twitter
Former Indian National team head coach Stephen Constantine has made a return to Indian football but this time with a club. Indian Super League (ISL) club East Bengal has announced Constantine as their new head coach for the 2022-23 season. The 59-year-old Englishman who managed India over two stints will join the red and gold brigade for the upcoming ISL season.
“Emami Group and East Bengal Club are delighted to announce that the former India national team head coach, Stephen Constantine has been appointed as our Head Coach for the 2022-23 football season.,” the official club statement read. Constantine also reacted to his appointment as the head coach of the ISL club and said he is very excited to join them.
“Delighted and very excited at being made Head Coach of Emami East Bengal. Can’t wait to get over there and get to work,” the former Indian coach wrote in a recent Twitter post. Notably. the 59-year-old, who last managed Pafos FC in Cypriot had managed the India men’s football team over two stints from 2002 to 2005 and from 2015 to 2019.
Constantine comes with loads of coaching experience. After retiring at the early age of 26 due to a serious knee injury, the Englishman started his coaching career for APEP Pitsilia, a 3rd division club from Cyprus. In 1999, he was appointed as the head coach of Nepal’s national team where he stayed for a couple of years before taking the Youth Coach position in 2001 at AFC Bournemouth.
He then joined the Indian national team and served them for three years before joining Millwall FC as Assistant Manager. Since then, Constantine has coached as many as seven clubs across leagues. Meanwhile, Constantine’s appointment comes after a dismal 2021/22 season for East Bengal where the club won just one match in 20 games played.