Picture courtesy: Kalyani Bharat FC

Kalyani Bharat FC bolstered their squad for the 2014-15 season of the Hero I-League with the acquisition of marquee player Romuald Boco.

Boco, 29, joins Bharat FC from English League One side Chesterfield FC. He is a versatile midfielder but prefers to play in advanced positions, having been mostly deployed as an attacking midfielder through large parts of his career.

Born in Bernay, France, Boco holds dual French-Beninese citizenship. He has collected 48 international caps for Benin, playing for them in the 2004 African Cup of Nations. He was the captain of the side that played the 2008 edition. Boco also represented his country in the 2010 edition, putting in several impressive displays over the course of the tournament.

Boco has also had a chequered club career, having played for a host of English sides. He began his career in his native France in the 2004-05 season playing for Chamois Niortais FC. In June 2005 he was transferred to Accrington Stanley FC where he spent three seasons logging 73 appearances and scoring seven goals.

He then moved to Ireland, plying his trade for Sligo Rovers FC in the Irish Premier Division for two seasons, making 57 appearances and scoring eight goals. Further spells at Burton Rovers and a return to Sligo Rovers was followed by a season in the Chinese Super League where Boco turned out for Shanghai East Asia. After his return from China, Boco played once again for Sligo Rovers moving on to Accrington Stanley, Plymouth Argyle and Chesterfield FC.

Amit Kalyani, Managing Director of Bharat FC, said that Boco’s vast experience and also his ability to be an effective playmaker was the reason the club had acquired his services. “Boco comes to us highly recommended. He is an excellent player and someone who has done well at every club that he has played for. He also has experience of playing in Asia and that will be helpful for him to acclimatize quicker to Indian conditions and the style of play,” he said.

Bharat FC’s head coach, Stuart Watkiss, said that Boco’s addition would provide the team with a very vibrant and creative influence in midfield, one that would increase Bharat FC’s potency in attack. “Boco is a very skillful player. His ball control and distribution are immaculate and his addition has come as a big boost to us. He can lend his weight to the attack and also ensure that we are always in the game with his precise passing,” said Watkiss.

Boco said that he was excited to play in India and also looked forward to training under Stuart Watkiss. “I have observed Stuart’s work at a number of English clubs. People back in England say only good things about his managerial approach and I am very excited to be working with him. I have played earlier in Asia and I hope to transfer that experience here and help the team achieve some good results,” he said.

Bharat FC will play their first ever I-League fixture against Dempo SC on January 24 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex, Pune with the game slated to kick-off at 19.00 IST.

(Report & Picture courtesy I-League Media)