Rahul Bheke joins his first training session, but visa delays keep new Mohun Bagan head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis and foreign players away ahead of the Kolkata Derby.
Kolkata, July 9: As India’s oldest football tournament is set to kick off in just 15 days, the most successful club in the competition’s history has begun its preparations. After training for the new season for nearly 45 days, Mohun Bagan SG started their Durand Cup 2026 preparations on Thursday at their home ground, the Mohun Bagan Ground.
Under head coach Bastab Roy, as new senior team head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis is yet to join the squad due to visa issues, Mohun Bagan SG completed their first Durand Cup training session with a 17-member all-Indian squad. New signing Rahul Bheke also joined training for the first time in the green and maroon colours.
From the previous season, almost all of the Indian players were present. In today’s first training session, goalkeepers Vishal Kaith and Priyansh Dube, Deepak Tangri, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Mehtab Singh, Asish Rai, Suhail Bhat, Apuia, and, from the Calcutta Football League squad, Dippendu Biswas, Sayan Banerjee, Mingma Sherpa, Raj Basfore, along with several others, took part in the session. Apuia did not appear to be fully fit, as he did not train with the team.
Mohun Bagan SG will kick off their Durand Cup 2026 campaign with the Kolkata Derby. However, with all the foreign players and head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis yet to join the squad, there is very little time left to prepare for the highly anticipated start of the tournament. Coach Bastab Roy also expressed the same concern and confirmed it.
As the team began its Durand Cup preparations today and the full squad is yet to train together on the field, it is quite challenging. The coach also pointed out that other teams have not started full-fledged preparations either. In such a situation, he believes individual brilliance could make the difference in the tournament.
As the clock ticks towards the opening whistle of the Durand Cup, Mohun Bagan SG’s immediate focus will be on getting the complete squad together. With time running short, the coming days will be crucial in shaping the team’s preparations for another title challenge.
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