Biswajit Bhattacharya is a retired Indian professional footballer and football manager.[1][2][3] He most recently managed Calcutta Football League club Calcutta Customs and is the current head coach of West Bengal football team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Biswajit Bhattacharya | ||
| Date of birth | 1964 (age 59–60) | ||
| Place of birth | Calcutta, West Bengal, India | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| East Bengal Club | (50) | ||
| International career | |||
| India | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2010 | Mohun Bagan | ||
| 2011–2012 | Chirag United Club Kerala | ||
| 2015–2016 | East Bengal | ||
| 2017–2018 | Mohammedan | ||
| 2018–2019 | Paro | ||
| 2021–2022 | Southern Samity | ||
| 2022 | Calcutta Customs | ||
| 2022– | West Bengal | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career edit
East Bengal edit
Bhattacharya played as a striker in the India national football team and played for both the Calcutta Football League clubs East Bengal[4] and Mohun Bagan.[5][6] In 1985, he won Federation Cup with East Bengal and went on to play at the 1985–86 Asian Club Championship in Saudi Arabia.[7] Managed by P. K. Banerjee,[8][9][10] East Bengal was part of Central Asia Zone, and the tournament was named "Coca-Cola Cup" where they defeated multiple teams to win it. In the opener against New Road Team of Nepal, they earned a massive 7–0 win, where Bhattacharya netted four goals. They also defeated Dhaka Abahani 1–0, thrashed Club Valencia of Maldives 9–0 (the biggest margin of victory by an Indian team over any foreign opponents).[11]
India edit
He represented India at the 1984 AFC Asian Cup in Singapore.[12] He scored a goal against Poland in 1984 Nehru Cup. That was India's only goal in the tournament. After a bike accident, Bhattacharya left his playing career and entered into coaching.[13]
Managerial career edit
Chirag Kerala edit
In February 2012, after sacking Sri Lankan manager Pakir Ali, Chirag United Kerala roped in Bhattacharya as technical director.[14][15] The club finished in twelfth position on league table of 2011–12 season, and relegated.[16][17][18][19][20] He left the club, and soon they got dissolved.[21][22][23][24]
East Bengal edit
He later managed East Bengal in the 2015–16 season,[25] and helped them winning prestigious Calcutta Football League.[26][27][28]
Mohammedan edit
In 2017–18, he managed Mohammedan Sporting.[29][30][31] With Mohammedan, he won Bordoloi Trophy, defeating Oil India Limited by 3–1 margin in final.[32]
Peerless edit
In 2018, he was appointed head coach of Peerless in the Calcutta Football League.[33][34]
Paro (Bhutan) edit
In 2019, he moved abroad and managed Bhutan Premier League club Paro. In that year, they won league title.[35]
Southern Samity edit
On 1 July 2021, Southern Samity appointed Bhattacharya as their new head coach.[36][37] The club began their 2021–22 Calcutta Premier Division campaign with a 3–0 defeat against Mohammedan Sporting,[38][39][40] and Bhattacharya was succeeded by Nigerian-Indian manager Saheed Ramon in September. He later managed century-old club Calcutta Customs.[41]
West Bengal edit
In 2022, Bhattacharya took charge of West Bengal and helped the team clinching gold at the 36th National Games of India, defeating Kerala 5–0 in final in Ahmedabad.[42][43] He later guided the team in 2022–23 Santosh Trophy, but they failed to break into the semi-finals hosted in Saudi Arabia.[44]
Honours edit
Player edit
East Bengal
- Federation Cup: 1984–85
- Coca Cola Cup: 1985
Bengal
Manager edit
East Bengal
- Calcutta Football League: 2015–16
Mohammedan Sporting
- Bordoloi Trophy: 2018
- Bodoland Martyrs Gold Cup: 2018[45]
- Darjeeling Gold Cup runner-up: 2018
Paro
West Bengal
- National Games Gold medal: 2022
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Sengupta, Somnath (13 July 2011). "Tactical Evolution Of Indian Football: Part Four – Modern Era (1999—2011)". thehardtackle.com. Kolkata: The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Manager profile: Biswajit Bhattacharya". globalsportsarchive.com. Global Sports Archive. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ Banerjee, Debanjan (9 August 2015). "উপচে পড়া গ্যালারি রঙিন করলেন খাবরা" [Khabra colored the overflowing gallery]. anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Anandabazar Patrika. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ "THROWBACK: When East Bengal FC became the Champions of Central Asia!". BADGEB. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ Chakraborty, Koushik (4 June 2018). "বিশ্বকাপ থেকে ভারতীয় ফুটবল, জমাটি আড্ডায় বিভিন্ন মুডে বিশ্বজিৎ". bengali.oneindia.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ Top 10 Bengali footballers in the history of Indian football Archived 12 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Khel Now. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Kapadia, Novy (7 October 2012). "East Bengal's Federation Cup successes". www.sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Sportstar, Team (1 August 2020). "100 years of East Bengal: A timeline". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ The World Sports Today (1 August 2020). "100 years of East Bengal: A timeline of Kolkata giant's key milestones". The World Sports Today. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Das Sharma, Amitabha (20 March 2020). "Obit: The incomparable P. K. of Indian football". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Mukherjee, Soham (1 April 2020). "How have Indian clubs fared in AFC Champions League and AFC Cup?". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Morrison, Neil; Panahi, Majeed; Veroeveren, Pieter (1995). "Asian Nations Cup 1984". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Sarkar, Uttiyo (12 October 2018). "Exclusive: Playing for both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was special for me– Biswajit Bhattacharya". khelnow.com. Khel Now. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Desperate Chirag United fires Packeer". thehindu.com. Kochi: The Hindu. 21 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ "'Time is a problem but mission is possible'". thehindu.com. Kochi: The Hindu. 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Noronha, Anselm. "Chirag United Kerala 0–3 Pailan Arrows: CS Sabeeth's hat-trick sinks his former side into second division". Goal. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ Noronha, Anselm. "HAL Bangalore 1–2 Pailan Arrows: Allwyn scores late in his side's second successive win". Goal. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ ":::: The Aiff ::::". Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012. I League table 2011-12
- ^ "Sabeeth hat-trick pushes Chirag out". thehindu.com. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ "Salgaocar, Viva Kerala relegated from I-League". Tha Indian. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Unpaid dues to players and club haunt Chirag United Kerala". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Sengupta, Somnath (8 July 2011). "Indian Club Football: How Financially Sustainable Is Football in India?". thehardtackle.com. The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ Ganguly, Abhishek (30 August 2013). "AIFF disbands Pailan Arrows outfit". The Times of India. Kolkata, West Bengal. Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ Ajgoankar, Ashlesh (18 January 2013). "Indian Football: Can Kerala Produce Next I.M. Vijayan?". thehardtackle.com. The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ Mitra, Atanu (7 July 2015). "East Bengal start pre-season under Biswajit Bhattacharya's watchful eyes". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ^ Mukhopadhyay, Shoubhik (10 September 2015). "East Bengal & Calcutta Football League: A Sublime Romantic Saga - Hero I-League". i-league.org. I-League. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "Do Dong-hyun: Birth of a new Hero in Calcutta Football League 2015". KolkataFootball.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
- ^ "Former India striker Biswajit Bhattacharya signs as new coach of East Bengal". First Post. 20 June 2015. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "আই লিগে মহমেডান কোচ বিশ্বজিৎ". Anandabazar Patrika (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ "CFL 2018: Mohammedan SC ropes in Raghu Nandi as coach". sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ^ Abhishek Ganguly (5 October 2018). "Mohammedan Sporting to open campaign in All India Independence Cup | Football News — Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "Mohammedan SC Cliched Title In The 65th Bordoloi Trophy". Goalie365.com. 9 November 2018. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ Biswajit Bhattacharya quits after plotting East Bengal's downfall. Archived 16 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine. The Times of India. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ Majumder, Ajay (29 August 2018). "CFL 2018/19: Mohammedan SC confident ahead of Peerless tie". indiafooty.com. INDIAFOOTY. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ "2-year-old Paro FC are the champions of the Bhutan Premier League 2019". www.bbs.bt. Thimpu: Bhutan Broadcasting Service. 7 November 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ সাদার্ন সমিতির কোচ হলেন তিন প্রধানে কোচিং করানো বিশ্বজিৎ ভট্টাচার্য (in Bengali). Archived 28 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine. bangla.hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ Indian Football Transfers 2021. Archived 3 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine. kolkatafootball.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ CFL 2021 -- Mohammedan Sporting, BSS SC make a winning start Archived 19 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. The Fan Garage. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ জয় দিয়ে কলকাতা লিগ অভিযান শুরু করল মহামেডান স্পোর্টিং (in Bengali). Archived 19 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. sportsnscreen.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ Isabirye, David (4 August 2022). "Football Transfers to Diaspora: Ugandan trio joins Southern Samity in India". kawowo.com. Kampala, Uganda: KAWOWO Sports. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ Ghoshal, Deepankar (10 October 2022). "National Games 2022: The glory of a group of hard-working footballers awaits the trophy at the Bengal National Games". newswaali.com. Kolkata: News Waali. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022.
- ^ "National Games: W Bengal hammer Kerala 5–0 to clinch gold in men's football". wap.business-standard.com. Ahmedabad: Business Standard India. IANS. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ Sarangi, Y. B. (11 October 2022). "National Games: West Bengal routs Kerala 5–0, wins men's football gold medal after 11 years". sportstar.thehindu.com. Ahmedabad: Sportstar. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Traditional powerhouses, unlikely upstarts and generous hosts set to clash in 76th Hero Santosh Trophy". AIFF. 2 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Mohammedan Sporting crowned Bodoland Martyrs Gold Cup champions!". arunfoot.com. 25 November 2018. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "Paro FC lifts the Gold Cup". KuenselOnline. 23 February 2019. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
Further reading edit
- Sen, Dwaipayan (2013). "Wiping the Stain Off the Field of Plassey: Mohun Bagan in 1911". In Bandyopadhyay, Kausik; Mallick, Sabyasachi (eds.). Fringe Nations in World Soccer. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-99810-5.
- Sen, Ronojoy (2015). "The Empire Strikes Back: The 1911 IFA Shield and Football in Calcutta". Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-16490-0.
- Roy, Gautam (1 January 2021). East Bengal 100. Allsport Foundation. ISBN 978-8194763109.
- Kapadia, Novy (2017). Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football. Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0-143-42641-7.
- Dineo, Paul; Mills, James (2001). Soccer in South Asia: Empire, Nation, Diaspora. London, United Kingdom: Frank Cass Publishers. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7146-8170-2. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022.
- Martinez, Dolores; Mukharji, Projit B (2009). Football: From England to the World: The Many Lives of Indian Football. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-88353-6. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022.
- Chattopadhyay, Hariprasad (2017). Mohun Bagan–East Bengal (in Bengali). Kolkata: Parul Prakashan.
External links edit
- Biswajit Bhattacharya at Global Sports Archive