Churchill Brothers appoint Mariano Dias as head coach

Goan giants Churchill Brothers SC have appointed Mariano Dias as their new head coach for the 2012/13 season in place of Brazilian Carlos Roberto Pereira da Silva with Subhas Bhowmick continuing to be the clubs Technical Director.

Mariano last assignment was as assistant coach to former national coach Savio Medeira with Team India before that he was with Salgaocar SC and Mariano is best remembered of having won the 2010 Santosh Trophy as head coach for Goa.

Mariano will have the difficult task to rebuild the Churchill Brothers team with long-time players like Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh and Arindam Bhattacharya besides talented Lalrindika Ralte, Jagpreet Singh and Mundampara P. Sakeer all leaving the club.

The two foreigners in Brazilian Roberto Mendes Silva and Henry Antchouet from Gabon have been retained while Antun Mathew Kovacic and N.D. Opara were released. In their place experienced Libanese international defender Bilal Sheikh El Najjarin has been signed while the club is in talks with Ghanian striker Bismark Idan who last played in Turkey.

Further the club has signed talented youngsters in Pailan Arrows trio of Gurtej Singh Sr, Bikramjit Singh and Ajay Singh; Bilal Khan, Sanjay Balmachu and Manpreet Singh from the Tata Football Academy besides former Brasil Futebol Academia recruit Alesh Sawant from Calangute Association.