Jose Francisco Molina appointed as head coach of Mohun Bagan Super Giant

Mohun Bagan Super Giant have announced the appointment of Jose Francisco Molina as the club’s new head coach ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Super League (ISL).

This will be the second time Molina is aligning with a Kolkata-based club. He was the head coach of the now-defunct Atletico de Kolkata in 2016. Molina led ATK to a title triumph.

Molina will replace Antonio Lopez Habas as the head coach of Mohun Bagan Super Giant. Habas led Mohun Bagan to their maiden ISL league shield last season and was also instrumental in leading the team to the ISL final, where they lost to Mumbai City FC 1-3.

Molina is now richer with more technical aspects of the game after an enriching stint in Spain as the technical director of the Spanish Football Federation from from 2018 to 2022. His technical expertise is expected to take Mohun Bagan Super Giant to greater heights in the next season.

The 53-year-old said he was honoured to be a part of a club that has a rich legacy. “I am honoured to be part of Mohun Bagan Super Giant , a club with a rich legacy. I hope to bring more success to the club and its fans. I would also like to thank Dr Goenka for giving me this opportunity and giving me the responsibility to take charge as head coach of Mohun Bagan Super Giant,” he said in a statement released by the club.

Meanwhile, another Kolkata-based club in the ISL – East Bengal FC – have extended the services of Spanish midfielder Saul Crespo for two more years. Crespo will now don the East Bengal colours till the end of the 2025-26 season.

Crespo is a vital cog in East Bengal’s wheel. He has been among the goals and helped East Bengal win multiple laurels, including winning the Kalinga Cup and finishing runners-up in the Durand Cup.

In the recently concluded ISL season, Crespo scored four goals, including goals in three consecutive matches against Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Kerala Blasters FC, and Bengaluru FC.