City football giants East Bengal on Thursday roped in Quess, one of Indias leading business services providers, as its investor.
The two sides inked an agreement, under which the I-League outfit will now be known as Quess East Bengal FC Pvt Ltd (QEBFC).
"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.
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In May, East Bengal had ended their two-decade-long association with Bengaluru-based United Breweries Group.
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.
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."
However, Ajit Isaac, chairman and managing director of Quess Group, said they have not put any pressure on the club regarding ISL.
"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.
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.
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.
Neither East Bengal officials, nor Isaac, divulged any details about the quantum of money pumped in by the new investor.
--IANS
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