ISL 2023-24: East Bengal should get more respect from the authorities, says head coach Carles Cuadrat

East Bengal head coach Carles Cuadrat demands more respect for his club from the Indian football authorities after their heart loss against Bangaluru FC last week.

Before flying to Odhisa ahead of their game against FC Goa, the head coach was vocal about the poor referring in and the schedule issues in Indian Football.

East Bengal faced a defeat against BFC at Kanteerava Stadium as Sunil Chhetri recieved a penalty in the first half of the game. Carles Cuadrat did not sound happy with all the decisions they received even after playing so good in Bengaluru.

"There were a lot of game-changing decisions which went against us. The referees made mistakes and three decisions went against us. I think East Bengal deserve a lot of respect and at the moment it is not happening," Cudarat slammed the authorities with his words.

With respect to referring, Cuadrat feels that VAR can come in handy for all those decisions that can change the outcome of a game.

"I have been in Indian football since 2016 and it's difficult. There are mistakes happening in lot of games and of course VAR can help. Because in penalty situations, VAR can bring about right decision," Cuadrat added in the press conference.

Although this is a home game from Spain, all they are forced to play at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar due to security issues in Kolkata for Durga Puja. Cuadrat feels that not having the fans behind them will surely be a disappointing thing for them but they have no issues playing at the Kalinga Stadium because the schedule did not allow them to play in Kolkata.

"It was my decision to play in Bhubaneshwar because they offered us to play three games in six days in between Mumbai and Odisha. So, if a player is injured in the first game, he is out for at least three more matches, which is not the solution. Sorry to the fans, we thought maybe Siliguri was an option, but it was not possible because of the Puja," Cuadrat expressed.

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Along with Cuadrat, East Bengal's marquee player Naorem Mahesh Singh attended the press conference as well. Mahesh, who had scored a brace when last time the red and gold brigade won against FC Goa, feels FC Goa comes with some great players and would be a great battle against them.

East Bengal FC had extended Mahesh Singh's contract to 2027 and Carles Cudarat had went on to say that it was a decision taken to secure East Bengal's future. Although Mahesh knows that there are expectations on him to perform, he does not feel anu pressure due to that.

"Obviously it's a privilege. East Bengal was the reason I got selected for the Indian team. It's no pressure, it's pleasure," Mahesh said when Sportz Point asked him about the contract extension.

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Although Mahesh loves playing as a winger more, he is happy to help the team any way coach Carles Cuadrat and team management want. In recent times Mahesh has been in very good scoring form and as per Carles, wherever they use Mahesh, it will be for an offensive cause.

East Bengal will play FC Goa on Saturda, 21st October at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from 5.30 pm. The match will be live streamed on Sony Liv and Sports18.