Explained: How Mohun Bagan plans to fight Asian Football Confederation after being booted out of Champions League Two

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Monday withdrew Mohun Bagan Super Giant from the AFC Champions League Two competition for their failure to travel to Iran for a match against Tractor SC which was due to be played on 2 October. Mohun Bagan had taken the decision to not travel to the country after Iran launched missiles on Israel, thus escalating political tensions between the two countries.

“In accordance with Article 5.2 of the AFC Champions League Two 2024/25 Competition Regulations (the “Competition Regulations”), the Asian Football Confederation (the “AFC”) confirms that India’s Mohun Bagan Super Giant are considered to have withdrawn from the AFC Champions League Two competition after the club failed to report to Tabriz, Islamic Republic of Iran, for their AFC Champions League Two Group A fixture against Tractor FC on October 2, 2024,” said an AFC statement.

“Consequently, all matches played by Mohun Bagan Super Giant are cancelled and considered null and void in accordance with Article 5.6 of the Competition Regulations. For the avoidance of doubt, no points and goals in the club’s matches shall be taken into consideration when determining the final rankings in Group A pursuant to Article 8.3 of the Competition Regulations,” the statement added.

More from Football

Man United manager Ruben Amorim reveals chat with Kobbie Mainoo after blocking loan move Bengaluru FC players paid, Odisha FC sit out of Super Cup 2025 amid Indian football crisis

Also read | Mohun Bagan seemingly pay the price for football politics as they're booted out of AFC Champions League 2

According to Times of India, Mohun Bagan SG looks set to file an appeal with the AFC Appeal Committee against the decision in the next 24 to 48 hours. Mohun Bagan has firm belief that the club has a “genuine” case of force majeure following their forced withdrawal from the AFC Champions League Two.

What is force majeure?

Force Majeure is derived from the French language which translates to “superior force”. According to the Cambridge dictionary, Force Majeure refers to “an unexpected event such as a war, crime, or an earthquake which prevents someone from doing something that is written in a legal agreement”.  In football, the Force Majeure clause is often used to free the two parties involved from a “liability or obligation” when a major event which is beyond the control of both parties take place.

As a result, the Force Majeure clause permits one, or both the parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract during the said event. In this case, that event is the ongoing Iran-Israel war.

When was the Force Majeure clause previously used in Indian football? 

The Force Majeure clause was previously used in Indian football in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. East Bengal and the now-defunct Chennai City FC, both clubs who were playing in the I-League, had activated the clause in a bid to terminate the contracts of players.