Bino George pens contract extension as assistant coach of East Bengal FC

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 18 : Indian Super League (ISL) outfit East Bengal FC's Indian assistant head coach, Bino George, has signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him at the club till the end of the 2026 season, the club announced the extension through their social media handles on Thursday.

An AFC pro-licence holder, George has been reinstated as the Indian Assistant Coach of Emami East Bengal's first team. He will also continue to be the Head Coach of the club's development and reserves teams.

Having joined the Red and Gold brigade last year, George has been an integral part of the club's think tank. Under his guidance, East Bengal FC's development team emerged champions in the East Zone qualifiers of the recently concluded Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL).

The team also performed decently in the RFDL National Group Stage in Mumbai, winning three of their four matches and missing out on a semi-final berth by just one point.

The 46-year-old coach from Kerala, who led his state to its seventh Santosh Trophy title in 2022, is renowned for nurturing young talent. East Bengal FC are confident that under George's tutelage, the young Indian players will continue to blossom and take their game to the next level.

George has, in fact, helped the club fast-track reserves team players like Tuhin Das and Athul Unnikrishnan into the senior team. The young defenders were regular starters for the team in the Super Cup earlier this year.

Debabrata Mukherjee of Emami Group said, "During the past year, Bino has has proved to be a great asset for our club. We are pleased to hand him a three-year extension and appoint him as the Indian Assistant Coach for our first team. The youngsters love playing under him and have shown rapid improvement, hence he'll also continue to be the Head of our Youth Development."

Speaking about his extension, an elated George said, "East Bengal has been like a family to me. I am really fortunate to be representing this historic club. It's a huge motivation for me and my boys."

He added, "Having tasted success with the youth team last season, I now want to help our senior men's team soar to greater heights. I look forward to working with Coach Cuadrat and I'm sure that our collective experience will prove beneficial for the first team. I like taking responsibility, so I will relish looking after our reserves and development teams as well. I would like to thank the club and Emami Group for keeping faith in me."

East Bengal's head coach Carles Cuadrat lauded the decision, saying, "Bino is a highly experienced coach and has done a tremendous job with our youth team. His knowledge about Indian football will help our first team immensely, and I look forward to working with him."