New Delhi: Bharat FC bolstered their squad for the 2014-15 I-League football season by signing Romuald Boco as the marquee player.
The 29-year-old Boco joins Bharat FC from English League One side Chesterfield FC. Boco 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.
Bharat FC will play their first ever I-League fixture against Dempo SC on January 24 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi with the game slated to kick-off at 7 pm.
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. In the June of 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 in the Irish Premier Division for two seasons, making 57 appearances and scoring eight goals.
Further spells at Burton Rovers, 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.
Boco said that he was excited to play in India and also looked forward to training under coach 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.
