"They should have told me earlier, it hurts as I don't want this to happen to anyone," the 61-year-old I-League winning former Dempo coach told reporters after the morning practice, bidding an emotional goodbye to the red-and-golds.
"The Armando Colaco era is over, hope the club rises to success. I'm a professional, that's why I came to training today," Colaco added, well aware that Schattorie would be named his replacement in the evening.
Terming it "unfortunate", East Bengal general secretary Kalyan Majumdar told a packed news conference: "He (Colaco) had sent me several texts about his ill health, but football is high intensity sport, you cannot continue like this.
"We're extremely sorry as we could not continue with him. We have high regards for him, he's undoubtedly the best Indian coach."
Also Read
"Naming Schattorie as the new "captain of the ship", Majumdar said, "We're extremely happy that he responded to our call at such short notice.
The 43-year-old had a successful stint with United SC since 2012 and guided them to IFA Shield before the club had to shut down because of the financial crisis in the state.