Kolkata: The upcoming edition of the I-League is going to be interesting for many reasons. While one of them is that the ISL too is going to be held simultaneously with it for the first time, the other reason is that the AIFF has increased the number of foreigners for each team playing in the tournament.
A total of eight foreign players can be signed by each team and five of them can be a part of the playing XI. The availability of the domestic footballers in the I-League still remains an uncertainty as it is expected that a lot of them would take part in the ISL because it is financially more beneficial, and so, the teams are looking forward to sign quality foreigners.
I-League giants East Bengal, after having secured the services of a lot of domestic footballers, are aiming for top class foreign recruits to be a part of their side in the next season. Well, the good news is that they have signed star Brazilian striker Charles D’Souza, who would now be seen in the red and golds in the upcoming I-League.
Charles had played for Chennai City FC in the last season and his performances had indeed grabbed some eyeballs. After consulting head coach Khalid Jamil, the East Bengal authorities have gone ahead with the signing. The 28- year old Charles was approached by the other I-League clubs as well but the Brazilian striker chose the red and gold brigade as his team for next season.