East Bengal FC announce transfer ban has been lifted
East Bengal FC have announced in a statement that the transfer ban inflicted by FIFA has been lifted. The club revealed they received official communication last night (January 25). With just a few days remaining in the January transfer window, they are now eligible to register new players.
Addressing the development, Namrata Parekh, the CEO of East Bengal FC stated:
"This comes as a relief for all the stakeholders of the club including the fans and the team. The current management has been working with all stakeholders involved to find the most amicable way forward while following multiple processes and legalities given that this was a complicated case, to begin with. Considerable time has been lost, however, we can now only focus on the remainder of the season."
Earlier this month, the All Indian Football Federation declared that the Red and Gold Brigade could not sign players as a result of administrative issues. However, reports suggested that the ban was imposed due to a dispute back in 2020.
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The club were in advanced negotiations to sign a two-year deal with Iranian footballer Omid Singh. However, the deal fell through in the end, and East Bengal FC were obligated to compensate the player.
Could Jake Jervis feature for East Bengal FC?
English striker Jake Jervis was reported to have signed for the Red and Gold Brigade early in the window but could not make an appearance as a result of the ban. However, he has trained with the squad and could feature sooner rather than later.
Head coach Stephan Constantine has also expressed his frustration with the ban with his team struggling for results. He will certainly be satisfied with the news, as they are currently ninth in the table and need fresh faces to compete for the top six spots.
Cleiton Silva has led the line well, but the team appears to be completely reliant on him to supply the goods up front. The addition of Jervis will certainly reduce the load on the Brazilian as Constantine will hope that he can improve the balance of the side.
With just six games left, East Bengal FC will look to make use of the January window to add depth to the squad as they look to bounce back after three consecutive defeats.