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Will Zee sponsor
East Bengal in 2001?
Will Zee Telefilms Ltd sponsor or take over Calcutta-based
soccer club East Bengal in 2001? Is East Bengal coming out
from the United Breweries fold? These questions are doing
the rounds in Calcutta, with industry sources claiming that
Subhash Chandra’s Zee TV is showing interest in East
Bengal, the winner of the Calcutta-based Indian Football Association’s
shield this season.
For Zee, an interest in football is not new - it has already
decided to sponsor Goa’s Churchill Brothers and is reported
to be eyeing other clubs. "Zee and East Bengal are holding
talks, and the club has tabled all the statistics," a
source said. Zee is reported to be impressed with the status
and standard of East Bengal, as well as the atmosphere in
the club.
Zee had earlier been reported to have shown interest in Mohamedan
Sporting and Tollygunge Agragami, both Calcutta-based, but
had decided not to go ahead. At best, Zee may be a co-sponsor
of Tollygunge Agragami, together with the firm Manek Shaw,
which owns the club. The firm’s owner, Basant Agarwal,
is the president of Tollygunge Agragami.
However, UB officials said the Kingfisher brand continues
to be tagged to East Bengal. "We are unaware of any change,"
said Surajit Sen, regional sales manager for Kingfisher.
East Bengal’s assistant secretary, Deepak ‘Poltu’
Das, refused to comment on the talk of Zee sponsoring his
club. However, he noted that East Bengal needs a lot of money.
"I have heard that Zee has paid Rs. 1.6 crore to sponsor
Churchill Brothers. This amount is simply not enough to run
a premier club like East Bengal these days," Das said.
"In 1998, UB gave Rs. 2.75 crore, the next year Rs. 2.25
crore and this year we got Rs 1.6 crore," Das said.
As sponsors of both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, the two Calcutta
rivals, UB reduced spending by putting a check on the lavish
remuneration given to players. For calendar 2001, the picture
will be clear after UB’s board meeting in February next
year, Das said.
On the other hand, arch rival Mohun Bagan’s general secretary,
Anjan Mitra, said they are keen on continuing the relationship
with UB brand McDowell in the next season. "As the bride’s
side, we have to be happy with whatever the groom’s family
offers," Mitra said. According to unconfirmed sources,
leading consumer electronics companies like LG and Sony are
willing to sponsor Mohun Bagan.
The club’s officials are denying this. "We are not
in a position to leave McDowell for LG or Sony," said
Balaram Choudhury, assistant secretary of Mohun Bagan.
Choudhury, who is the owner of Panorama Television and also
an agent of Sony, said that it is unlikely that any corporate
sponsor will match UB’s spending.
UB, on its part, insists that it will continue to back Mohun
Bagan. "We spend a lot on the team, and it is unlikely
that we will back out," said Mr Trisith Ranjan Ghosh,
corporate advisor of UB Industries.
Chandan
Banerjee
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