 "Mohun Bagan seemingly pay the price for football politics as they're booted out of AFC Champions League 2")
Mohun Bagan Super Giant, the Indian football giant, have been forced to withdraw from the AFC Champions League Two because they refused to travel to Iran for a match. Mohun Bagan were to play against Tractor SC in Tabriz, Iran, on 2 October in a Group A fixture of the AFC Champions League Two, but the Indian Super League (ISL) did not travel to Iran considering the risk of war in West Asia.
The situation in West Asia had become extremely tense after Israel assassinated Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Iran-backed Hezbollah. In reply, Iran on 1 October launched roughly 180 ballistic missiles against Israel . Ballistic missiles were also seen flying over a football stadium in Iran’s Fuladshahr city during another AFC Champions League Two match between Sepahan and Istiklol Dushanbe on 1 October.
The rockets were seen from Fooladshahr, where Sepahan vs Istiklol is taking place. pic.twitter.com/mLkybdByeJ
— عرفان حسینی / Erfan Hoseiny (@Eri1806) October 1, 2024
The airspace above Iran, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and other countries in the region was also closed following the missile attack.
Mohun Bagan asked to reschedule match
In such a situation, Mohun Bagan decided to prioritise their players’ security and took the sensible decision of skipping the Iran tour despite having already booked their tickets. As per media reports, the club also asked the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to reschedule the match or host it at an alternate venue but the appeal fell on deaf ears.
“We have decided to not travel to Iran keeping our players’ safety and security in mind, because that is paramount. We have also written to the ministry of external affairs as their advisory states that you can go to Iran or Israel on your own responsibility,” a club source said.
“We had our flight tickets booked and the hotel accommodation was also arranged, but we just couldn’t risk our players’ safety when the country is in a state of mourning.”
Read: Bagan made the right call by not travelling to Iran; now AFC must make a fair decision
Shockingly, on Monday (7 October), the AFC announced that Mohun Bagan were “ considered to have withdrawn from the AFC Champions League Two” as the club failed to report to Tabriz, Islamic Republic of Iran, for their Group A fixture.
The Asian football body also branded Bagan’s previous goalless draw against Tajikistan’s Ravshan Kulob, in their opening match of the tournament, as null and void.
“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,” AFC said in a statement.
Are Mohun Bagan paying the price for football politics?
It comes as a big surprise that the biggest footballing body in Asia has decided to punish an Indian football club for prioritising their players’ safety by not travelling to Iran amid the risk of war. At a time when the AFC was expected to show empathy and deliver a fair decision, it has instead set a concerning precedent.
But why would the AFC favor an Iranian club so heavily against Mohun Bagan, especially when the situation in Iran and West Asia is so volatile? Perhaps the answer lies in politics.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, is also one of the vice presidents of the Asian Football Confederation. Additionally, with Iran being one of Asia’s top footballing nations, it holds significant influence in the corridors of football politics.
In fact, when the news first broke that Mohun Bagan would not be traveling to Iran, Mehdi Taj had warned that the Indian football club would face serious consequences if they skipped their match in Iran.
In a statement on the Iranian Football Federation’s official website, Mehdi Taj outlined the possible penalties Bagan could face:
$50,000 fine
Disqualification from AFC Champions League Two
Ban from at least one edition of all Asian club-level competitions
And it’s exactly how it has turned out to be with Mohun Bagan getting disqualified from AFC Champions League Two. What’s worse is that the Indian football club can be penalised further as AFC in its statement said that the matter “will now referred to the relevant AFC Committee(s) as appropriate” for any further decision.
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