Kolkata: In what came as a surprise to fans of both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, Khalid Jamil, the head coach of the Red and Gold brigade visited an ailing Sanjoy Sen at a nursing home near EM Bypass on Tuesday.
Rivalry in football has been a common scene between clubs across the world, but every gesture of love between two rivals is cheered by many and Jamil’s small act of love and respect for a rival he is about to face in one week’s time, only goes to show that despite being one of the fiercest rivals in world football, both the Kolkata giants share a wonderful bonding among themselves.
Head coach of the Bagan camp Sanjoy Sen had undergone a bypass surgery just a few days back and is yet to recover completely. Assistant coach Shankarlal Chakraborty has taken over as the interim coach for the CFL, in absence of the I-League winning coach.
Sen, who is still admitted in a nursing home, had a surprise visitor for him on Tuesday when Jamil walked in to see the Bagan head and wish him a speedy recovery. Later, talking to the journalists who were present outside the nursing home, the East Bengal coach said, “I have huge respect for him. I wish his speedy recovery. I also want him back on the field very soon.”
Both Sanjoy and Khalid are said to share to a healthy relationship and respect for each other. Earlier also when the former Mumbai man led Aizwal FC to their first ever I-League title, the 56-year-old Sen had praised him saying, “It’s a great achievement for Khalid because this is the first time he is out from Mumbai so it is nice that an Indian coach has gone so far. It is actually a proud moment for all Indian coaches and great for Indian football.”
Well, this is not the first time such a strong acquaintance is seen between both the clubs. In the beginning of this year, when the AIFF wanted to merge both the ISL and the I-League into one, both the Kolkata clubs had joined hands in successfully protesting against such a move.
When East Bengal club official Debabrata Sarkar was asked if this was right just before the famous Kolkata derby which is supposed to be decider match for the CFL, he said, “This is a noble gesture by Khalid Jamil and I am personally very happy with it. We all are praying for his speedy recovery. I will go to meet Sanjoy Da in a couple of days time.”