East Bengal on Thursday appointed Mario Rivera as their new head coach, a position which was lying vacant after the sudden resignation of Alejandro Menendez.
Rivera, who was a former deputy to Menendez, has been appointed till the end of the season (May 31), the club said.
An 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. He 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.
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 have since slipped to seventh in the I-League standings with eight points from seven matches.
Their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, meanwhile, lead the table with 17 points from eight matches.