Major blow to Indian football: Iconic club Mohammedan Sporting to shut down

In a major blow to Indian football, one of the oldest clubs, Mohammedan Sporting, has decided to shut shop after going bankrupt according to reports. Owing to severe financial crisis, the Mohammedan Sporting club officials decided to take this decision at a working Committee meeting on Saturday. [caption id=“attachment_1765681” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational Image. AFP[/caption] It was reported that the club hadn’t paid salaries to the players for the past three months and this had caused extreme displeasure among the players and the coaching staff. Founded in 1891, Mohammedan Sporting was one of the most iconic and popular clubs in India. They won the Durand Cup and IFA Shield in 2013 but early this year, they were axed from the I-League by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) after they failed to meet the club licencing criteria set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). At a time when the entire nation is basking in the glory of the ‘birth of a footballing nation’ with the advent of ISL, these are worrying signs for club football in the country.