Leo Bertos (Hamilton Olympic FC | Australia)

http://zeenews.india.com/sports/football/east-beng...

His Futsal Whites career comes to an end. Good luck to him. 

Good on him. 

Not often a club signs a player that has been unbeaten at a world cup too.

Bet his mrs will love india ?

Well done Leo, you are always a marquee to me

Apparently his signing came about after the Indian FA passed a new rule that alI I-League clubs must sign a marquee.

He'll be only the second foreign player at the club, joining fellow new signing, Nigerian striker Ranti Martins.

The manager is an Indian of Portuguese descent, Armando Colaco,  from Goa who briefly managed the national team and has won the national title several times with Dempo (Goa).

East Bengal finished runners-up last season.

More detailed report on East Bengal signing Bertos:

http://www.thehardtackle.com/2014/east-bengal-sign...

I've spent time in Kolkatta and East Bengal are one of two biggest clubs there along with Mohun Bagan.

Football has traditionally been the biggest sport in Bengal (cricket has only caught up there recently) and you see football pitches everywhere ,even in small villages. Goalposts serve as clotheslines when there isn't a game on and cows often graze on the village pitch.

Lots of TV coverage of the I-League. India has specialist football channels broadcasting 24 hours with local and international leagues. 

East Bengal's Salt Lake Stadium is the biggest football stadium in the world, with a 120,000 capacity, bigger than Mexico City's Azteca or Barcelona's Camp Nou (Rio's Maracana is down to 79,000 these days) and is surprisingly modern:

http://eastbengalfootballclub.com/stadium.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengal_F.C.#Stad...

"The Salt Lake Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal. The stadium is the second largest non-auto racing stadium in the world and the largest in India. It is currently used for mainly football matches. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 people and has three tiers.[8]

The stadium includes a unique running track, electronic scoreboard, artificial turf, floodlighting arrangement, air conditioned VIP rest room and Conference Hall along with Medical Room & Doping Control Room.[8] Other features of the stadium are boxes for TV along with several platforms for TV cameras, press boxes, air conditioned player's changing rooms.

The Salt Lake Stadium hosts the home games of East Bengal in I-League and AFC Cup.

They have a second smaller stadium of 23,500 capacity for local Calcutta Football League matches.

134,000 - 1997 Federation Cup Semi Final between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan holds the record for the largest audience in Indian football. The match played in 13th July, 1997 at Salt Lake Stadium drew 134,000 spectators. This is a record attendance for any sport in India.

This beats the football attendance records for England and Spain.

Air conditioned VIP rest room. 

All the mod cons!

that is impressive stuff - you'd have to play for Pyongyang fc to get a bigger stadium and I'm sure the wife wouldn't be even less impressed with north korea

Good stuff, nice to see there's still a hunger for the professional game. Better than seeing him play ASB Prem and working 40hrs a week making coffee.

Well, well, well! My goodness gracious me. This is most very interesting....

Does that mean the end of his futsal career?

How much does an Marque player in India earn? Hopefully a good pay cheque for the last couple of years of his career.

I've talked to Kayne Vincent about playing here, he said the support was fanatical and the atmosphere mind-blowing.

I understood that the average attendances in India were particularly high league wide despite the odd massive crowd?

wonder if they call their stadium the Ring if Fire too?

Hope he likes curry.

it'll make a change from his usual diet of fish and chips, right leggy?

Or moussaka.

Might need to work on his goal celebration

I guess you mean "I understood that the average attendances in India were NOT particularly high league wide despite the odd massive crowd?"

That's true:  Leo is playing in Kolkata though where crowds are the biggest  and will sometimes probably be playing in front of crowds of 80,000 - 100,000 in the Kolkata derby which is the big sporting event of the year there.

"Currently attendance in the I-League is suffering as the 2013–14 season only averaged 5,618 per game.[56]Mohun Bagan averaged the most spectators that season with an average of 17,068 while Shillong Lajong ended up being the only other I-League club to finish with an average attendance over 10,000 when the finished at 11,308 per game."

The big games are the Kolkata derby, between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. "On 20 November 2011, 90,000 people watched at theSalt Lake Stadium as Mohun Bagan defeated East Bengal 1–0."

I was there for that one. Probably similar to "El Classico" in Spain but heightened by being neighbours (Celtic - Rangers; Liverpool - Everton; Man City - Man Utd). Lots of noise and flag-waving throughout. When someone scores, it really goes off similar to Westpac vs. Bahrain 2009. Tickets are from equivalent of $NZ 1 to $NZ 4.

80,000 crowd at November derby match last season:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntmly6VotJw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDErTDml3Do

Leo won't be seeing action for a while because the I-League doesn't start until December. But in the meantime he could be in line for a new comp. 

There's a new national comp running before the next I-League - the "Indian Super League."

IMG-Reliance, the world's biggest sports management group, in association with the Indian FA, is launching a new "Indian Super League."

The eight team comp runs September to November. It includes some established I-League clubs with several new entities.

There is much more money behind it than the seven season-old I-League with wealthy cricketer, Bollywood and business owners.

More revenue goes back to the clubs (including TV money) than under the current I-League deal.

Spain's Atletico Madrid are part-owner of Leo's local franchise Atletico Kolkata and have signed Luis Garcia ex-Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid as their marquee from his Mexican club. Established La Liga veteran Borja has also been signed.

Franchises were selected on the basis of what they can do to develop the game in their area and not just the money behind them.

The Indian Super League clubs are allowed to sign eight foreigners including one marquee of international repute.

The I-League runs from December with ten teams confirmed (three were relegated for not meeting the licensing criteria) but the possibility of more being admitted.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Indian_Super_Lea...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football...

On the model of Major League Soccer in the States, clubs are free to sign players of their own choice but there is also a draft to complete the rosters.

The Super League domestic player draft was completed this month. The foreign player draft of 49 players happens next month.

Indian Super League Foreign players known so far:

Atlético Kolkata	Luis García	Borja Fernández	Ofentse Nato
Bangalore ISL team	TBA	TBA	TBA
Delhi Dynamos	TBA	Mads Junker	Morten Skoubo
Goa ISL team	TBA	TBA	TBA
Kerala Blasters	David James	TBA	TBA
Mumbai City FC	TBA	TBA	TBA
North East United	Joan Capdevila	TBA	TBA
Pune ISL team	TBA	Bruno Cirillo	Emanuele Belardi

Wow David James is still playing? Thought he'd retired.

Edit: Ok so he's declared bankrupt: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance...

Must be in desperate need of some moolah.

Looks to be more of a retirement league than anything...

http://www.espnfc.com/story/1959850/freddie-ljungb...

Hope Leo give's it a decent crack over there, and maybe he can pick up one of these 'Super League' contracts too. Might be worth a bit of dosh!

Trezeguet and Pires have reportedly signed for FC Pune City.

[Edit: whoops, Leo is in the I-League and Pune City is in the ISL. My bad]

Pune City. I like the sound of that

Scored today in a 6-0 win

Final goal.

Leo  on as a 61 min. sub in the 6-0 win.

Takes East Bengal to equal first in the Calcutta Football League.

http://eastbengalfootballclub.com/news.php?categor...

Their two Nigerians, Dudu and Ranti Martins are top-scorers in the league.

Two more Africans on the way after the Indian Super League concludes in December - the high profile Zambian international duo (current African Cup of Nations champions).

They've lost half their squad temporarily to the local Indian Super League franchise, Atletico Kolkatta.

Calcutta League table after nine rounds of the twenty game season:

https://www.facebook.com/KingfisherEastBengalFC/ph...

The most important thing for East Bengal supporters is that they are a point ahead of arch rivals Mohun Bagan:

http://eastbengalfootballclub.com/news.php?categor...

They beat Mohun 3-1 two weeks ago in front of a large vociferous crowd at the 120,000 capacity Salt Lake ground the two clubs share.

Leo will be Mr Popular with the fans after being influential in his 61 mins in this derby.

All players were afterwards handed a large cash bonus for routing the despised local rivals: "After the match East Bengal Club President Dr Pronab Das Gupta and other senior members declared an incentive of Rs 2.50 lakhs for the team for their triumph."

Bertos: Instant Hero in Rout of Local Rivals.

East Bengal are playing qualifiers later in the year for the AFC Cup (second tier of Asian club competition - equivalent of Europa League for European clubs).

that's never Leo Bertos- he' smashed that home from outside of the box with his wrong foot. I can't recall any strike that impressive (ok the free kick was pretty damn good) with us! 

About $US 6000. For the team. So about $US 500 each.

Nix shirt at 2.25... 

good goal Leo.

Leo 4 'Nix!

Leo's East Bengal claimed the Calcutta Football League title for a record 36th time last week.

Leo didn't feature in the final game however.

http://eastbengalfootballclub.com/news.php?categor...

Achieved with a lot of youth team players because half the first team squad are away with Indian Super League franchise Atletico Kolkata.

Indian Super League runs October 12  - December 20

Leo's league, the actual national league, the I-League starts after that.

The showcase Indian Super League is really taking off - Del Piero has signed for Delhi, Anelka and Elano (ex-Man City and Brazil) for Mumbai , Zico is coaching Goa, Materazzi is player-coach of Chennai, Peter Reid coach of Mumbai.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/Indian-S...

Leo's goal amongst the Top Ten East Bengal goals Calcutta Football League 2014:

At Number 6:

Now reunited with Ricki at NorthEast United in the Super League until late December - on loan from I-League club East Bengal.

Great news for him.

Adds more interest for us in NZ to follow the league.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/10586045/Leo...

No matter where he goes, Ricki looks after his own!

Leo made his debut for NorthEast United in the Indian Super League as a 73 min. sub in the 2-0 home loss to Atletico Kolkata on Friday morning NZT.

Borja's foul on Leo lead to the Spaniard being sent off:

http://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/643-atletico...

Line-ups: http://int.soccerway.com/matches/2014/10/16/india/...

"Atlético de Kolkata remain top of the league table after a convincing display against NorthEast United FC, winning by a 2-0 margin. Fikru Teferra Lemessa in the fifteenth minute and Jakob Podaný in second-half injury time gave the away side their second consecutive win of the tournament.

...the Highlanders began to slowly get into the game towards the end of the first half.

NorthEast came out with purpose after the break, as they pushed for an equaliser. Skipper Joan Capdevila had the ball in the net in the 70th minute, but the goal was rightly ruled out for offside.

There was a twist late in the game, as Borja picked up a second yellow for pulling back NorthEast substitute Leo Bertos, and was sent off with six minutes left to play."

Leo was an unused sub in the 1-1 home draw with Goa this morning.

NorthEast United (four points) sit second on the table behind Atletico Kolkata (seven points)