I-League 2019-20: East Bengal appoint Mario Rivera as head coach following resignation of Alejandro Menendez

Kolkata: East Bengal on Thursday appointed Mario Rivera as new head coach of the team, a position which was lying vacant after the sudden resignation of Alejandro Menendez.

Rivera, who was a former deputy to Menendez, has been appointed as head coach till the end of the season (31 May), the club said in a statement.

A UEFA Pro Licence coach, Rivera had most of his coaching stints in Spain.

Rivera is familiar with the team and coaching staff and this will surely be an advantage for the remainder of the season.

Rivera is expected to join the club in the second week of February, probably in time to oversee the fixture against Aizawl FC as he is yet to get his visa.

The red and gold brigade next take on Chennai City and Indian Arrows with Bastab Roy in charge of the team.

Menendez faced a lot of criticism after East Bengal suffered a hat-trick of defeats, the last one coming against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan 1-2 in the I-League derby.

East Bengal has slipped to seventh in the I-League standings with eight points from seven matches.

Their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, lead the standings with 17 points from eight matches.