Old architect, new artist: Anthony Andrews, Fazila Ikwaput eye AFC glory with Emami East Bengal

It is early morning at the Kalyani Stadium. The dew still clings on to the grass.

The Red and Golds are already on the pitch, stretching, passing, laughing, teasing each other about missed shots. There is focus in their eyes, but also joy, the kind that comes only from doing what you love, and doing it well.

It was in May when Emami East Bengal FC’s women lifted the Kanyashree Cup with the familiar roar of the home crowd echoing off the stands.

The Red and Golds, already crowned champions of the Indian Women’s League just a month prior, celebrated a historic domestic double.

Players hugged, cameras clicked, and somewhere in the chaos, head coach Anthony Andrews stood quietly, absorbing it all. He had seen the process work, long hours of training, late-evening tactical sessions, and a squad that believed in him and, more importantly, in each other.

Now, a few months later, that same team is preparing to represent India on a stage far larger than any stadium they’ve known.

Drawn in Group E of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025-26, they will face Hong Kong’s Kitchee SC and Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Crown FC in the preliminary stage, a stage where every move they make will carry the weight of expectation of an entire nation.

After reaching Cambodia for their first AFC clash, Anthony Andrews and Fazila Ikwaput sat down with The Bridge for an exclusive conversation.

The pillars of the Red and Golds

To understand Andrews’ impact, you have to rewind.

He arrived at Gokulam Kerala in 2021 and immediately began crafting history, leading them to consecutive IWL titles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He completed a hat-trick of Indian Women's League titles with Emami East Bengal.

“Winning three titles is not easy,” says Andrews, who has built this team with painstaking care. “There are a lot of challenges we have to face as a group, but staying together and executing the plan is what makes the difference.”

Andrews’ philosophy is simple but demanding: character first, tactics second. His coaching isn't just tactical; it's philosophical.

At Gokulam, he wasn't an autocratic figure. He built trust. 

A former ACL-injury–stricken player turned coach, Andrews began in grassroots setups at PIFA, rose through Minerva Punjab’s youth system –winning Best Coach of the Year in 2017. He then steadily built a reputation, winding up at Gokulam and now at East Bengal.

“To lay any plan, you need characters and attitudes on the pitch who can execute it. The philosophy and style of play come secondary. If you don’t have the behavior of learning or the attitude to understand, you waste time on that person," he explains.

For East Bengal, this clarity has created a rare unity.

14 key players have already signed contract extensions, while six others – Ngangbam Sweety Devi, Ashalata Devi, Sushmita Lepcha, Buli Sarkar, Astam Oraon, and Naorem Priyangka Devi – are continuing their two-year terms. There is no rebuilding here, only sharpening.

Under Andrews, they dropped just five points all season, remained unbeaten at home, and became the only club in the country to have won both men’s and women’s top-tier league.

Fazila Ikwaput: The joy of scoring, the weight of responsibility

Enter Fazila Ikwaput. A Ugandan forward with a potent blend of precision and polite ferocity.

Her story is not ordinary: after shining in her home league, she arrived in India for Gokulam Kerala, scoring freely in her first IWL season, and then danced her way into UEFA Champions League action with BIIK Kazygurt.

Back with Gokulam in 2024, she exploded: top scorer, golden boot winner, delivering four goals in one match, two hat-tricks. Yet now she has a new mission, Emami East Bengal’s front line.

Up front, Fazila Ikwaput is both artist and executioner. “I know my job is just one, I have to look for the net, I have to score because I love celebrating. Any chance I get, that’s what I want to use because without goals, a team cannot win,” she says.

Yet, her focus extends beyond her own achievements. “I ask for corrections where I’m going wrong, and then I come and try to change what I’m supposed to do.”

Leadership, Andrews stresses, is more than just giving instructions. It is the ability to read moments, understand teammates, and lift spirits when the heat is on. That's where Fazila excels. 

“With regards to Fazila, she is one of the best professionals I have ever worked with. She understands the team, she knows the way I want to play, and more importantly, she is a leader on the pitch," says Andrews.

Fazila understands that she is now part of something larger – a team representing the hopes of Indian football fans who have longed for recognition on the continental stage.

“Without the fans, we cannot do anything. They are our strength. Whenever I look at the crowd, I know we have to make them smile because they travel long journeys to support us. We need more of that support behind us," she says.

Carrying the Nation’s hopes

When Emami East Bengal steps onto the pitch in Kuala Lumpur, they will carry India’s aspirations in women’s football.

19 clubs from across Asia compete in the preliminary stage, but for the Emami East Bengal players, the goal is singular: show that Indian women’s football belongs on this stage.

Every tackle, every goal, every save is magnified because it is not just a club competing; it is a nation being represented.

Andrews sees this weight as motivation rather than pressure.

“At this moment, we just want to focus on ourselves and give our best. Even if challenges come, we will embrace them positively. We know why we are here.”

And when the games are played, he promises one thing to the supporters back home: “Give us 90 minutes of your time, and we’ll make sure that when the game ends, you’ll be smiling and proud.”

The journey ahead

The draw places Emami East Bengal in a challenging group, but the team’s recent history shows they thrive on challenges.

The domestic double was hard-fought, and the team knows that continental football will demand more, faster transitions, sharper decision-making, and relentless commitment.

Yet, for all the pressure and expectations, there is also an unspoken excitement – a chance to measure themselves against the best in Asia, to test the squad’s unity, and to write a new chapter in Indian women’s football.

The AFC Women’s Champions League is no longer a distant dream for Emami East Bengal; it is a calling.

From Kolkata’s familiar chants to the bright lights of Cambodia, the Red and Golds carry with them a message: India is ready, India is competitive, and India is hungry for recognition.