East Bengal's Habas and players reportedly boycott training over unpaid salaries

On Wednesday, October 14, head coach Antonio Lopez Habas and first-team players at East Bengal reportedly refused to train at the club's training ground, disrupting preparations for the new Indian Super League season over unpaid salaries.

Reports say the players arrived at the ground but declined to participate until their outstanding dues were cleared; the salary delays are understood to affect foreign players, coaching staff, academy members and Under-23 players.

MyKhel reported that the club was working to clear most of the outstanding salaries by Thursday, October 15, but payments and the resumption of normal training had not been independently confirmed at the time of writing; there have also been claims that East Bengal have close to Rs 4 crore in their bank account but are unable to access or use the funds because of an unresolved issue, a claim described as unverified with the nature of the restriction unclear.

The reported salary crisis has occurred amid uncertainty over East Bengal’s financial backing after the Emami Group ended its investment and management role on August 25, 2026, transferring its shares and associated voting rights back to the club while retaining an association as a sponsor; Emami had joined in 2022 after the club’s arrangement with Shree Cement ended, and the partnership contributed to successes including the Kalinga Super Cup in 2024 and consecutive Calcutta Football League titles in 2024 and 2025.

Off-field uncertainty followed a difficult week on the pitch: East Bengal lost 1-0 to Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the IFA Shield final on October 8, with Samir Zeljkovic scoring the decisive goal, after having beaten NorthEast United 7-2 in the semi-final.

They then suffered a 3-2 defeat against Iraq’s Al Shorta in the AFC Champions League Two on October 13; David Hmar scored twice to give East Bengal the lead on two occasions, but the Indian side were unable to prevent their opponents from securing victory.

East Bengal are scheduled to begin their ISL campaign against Churchill Brothers in Goa on October 18, followed by a league fixture against Inter Kashi on October 23 and a return to continental action against Oman’s Al-Seeb on October 27; with those three fixtures approaching across two competitions, resolving the salary dispute and restoring normal training will be crucial.