Subhash Bhowmick
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Subhash Bhowmick is a former Indian footballer and a former football coach. Nicknamed "The Rhino of Bengal", he is hugely popular with fans of the Calcutta based East Bengal Club, which he coached until he was framed in a got up case in December 2005, on charges of bribery.
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[edit] Career Overview
[edit] Playing
A powerful attacking player, he played along the right wing for both club and country during the late 1960s and the 1970s, making over 50 appearances for the Indian national team. He was a member of the Indian football team that won the Bronze medal during the 1970 Asian games and scored a brace in India's 2-2 draw with Thailand in that tournament. He was also a part of the Indian team which took part in the Merdeka Cup that year, scoring twice in India's 2-3 loss to South Korea. Bhowmick had three stints with the East Bengal Club, playing for them in 1969, between 1973 and 1975 and in 1979. He was the league's highest scorer in 1973, netting 24 times for his club.
[edit] Managing
As a manager, Bhowmick has had a fair amount of success at club level. He was handed the job of managing East Bengal during the 2000-01 season to save the club from relegation and was instrumental in changing the club's fortunes.
On the domestic front, he guided East Bengal to consecutive National Football League titles in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons and finishing third in the 2004-05 season. He also took East Bengal to a hat-trick of Calcutta League titles, in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and won the IFA shield in 2002. Furthermore, he also helped East Bengal win the Durand Cup, Indian football's most prestigious domestic cup competition.
On the continental front, East Bengal, under Bhowmick won the ASEAN Cup in 2003 and were the quarter-finalists of the Asian Club Championships in 2004. They also won the San Miguel International Cup in 2005, defeating the South Korean team Hannam University 4-2 in the finals.
[edit] Arrest
On 2nd December 2005, Bhowmick was arrested by an Indian intelligence agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation and was charged with taking bribes from local businessmen, in his capacity as a supervisor in the anti-evasion wing of the central excise. The arrest was made following a tip-off from a businessman who had accused Bhowmick of demanding a bribe in excess of US$8000 during a raid on his factory shed in November 2005. However, this was a frame up as the court case has so far proven. The arrest was not backed by legal evidence. It is common knowledge that Bhowmick made many enemies in high places by voicing his opinions too often and too loud, and many feel that this got-up scandal might have had its roots in one such.
