East Bengal rope in Quess as new investor

Kolkata, July 5 (IANS) City football giants East Bengal on Thursday roped in Quess, one of Indias leading business services providers, as its investor.<br> <br>The two sides inked an agreement, under which the I-League outfit will now be known as Quess East Bengal FC Pvt Ltd (QEBFC).<br> <br>”We were thinking of few other options after our association with UB Group came to an end last month. When this company approached us with a partnership proposal, we found them the most suitable among all candidates,” East Bengal Secretary Kalyan Majumder told mediapersons here.<br> <br>In May, East Bengal had ended their two-decade-long association with Bengaluru-based United Breweries Group. <br> <br>There were talks of East Bengal taking part in the Indian Super League (ISL) from the upcoming season with their new investors coming on board.<br> <br>Asked about the development, East Bengal official Debabrata Sarkar said: “No decision has been taken regarding that. We have a meeting tomorrow. This is not the time to talk about that. We will let you all know once we make some headway.”<br> <br>However, Ajit Isaac, chairman and managing director of Quess Group, said they have not put any pressure on the club regarding ISL.<br> <br> “There is no pressure from us. But we will definitely like our team to be part of the best forum,” Isaac told IANS when quizzed about the same.<br> <br>There were reports that East Bengal had approached the All India Football Federation (AIFF) regarding the confirmation of their ISL participation if they manage to strike a sponsorship deal and satisfy all the required financial criteria.<br> <br>The red and gold brigade finished fourth in the I-League last term and reached the final of the Super Cup where they lost to Bengaluru FC.<br> <br> <br>Neither East Bengal officials, nor Isaac, divulged any details about the quantum of money pumped in by the new investor.<br> <br>–IANS<br>dm/ssp/ajb/vm