Kolkata: Moroccan Karim Bencherifa, beginning his second stint as coach of Mohun Bagan, said, on Monday, that his main aim is to regain the I-League title.
The 44-year-old was recalled from Goa after Santosh Kashyap was asked to quit following the team’s failure in the Federation Cup and back-to-back defeats in the I-League. Karim had served Mohun Bagan for 19 months before joining Salgaocar in 2010 and won the I-League and Federation Cup in 2011.
Karim left Bagan 33 months ago after differences cropped up between him and club officials.
Karim, who was with Salgaocar before this assignment, said, “I am very happy to be back with Mohun Bagan. It’s a new challenge and I am very comfortable in taking up challenges.”
Karim, in his first stint, had shepherded Bagan to become runners up in the I-League and champions in the Federation Cup. It also topped the Calcutta Premier League. But Mohun Bagan failed to win any tournament after Karim left the club and he thinks that Mohun Bagan is on the right track now. “I had to motivate the Salgaocar players a lot. The squad here has a lot of quality,” he said. (PTI)