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⚽️ HT Kick Off: Court warriors

Talking about action on the pitch feels Sisyphean when football is mired in litigation of which Mohun Bagan’s move to CAS is the latest, says Dhiman in this issue

Dhiman Sarkar

Oct 3

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Mohun Bagan Super Giant have been axed from Asian Champions League 2. **Source: @mohunbagansg on X**

Last October, Mohun Bagan Super Giant pulled out of the Asian Champions League 2 tie against Tractor FC citing heightened conflict between Iran and Israel as reason for not travelling to Tabriz. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decided that the storied Indian club had withdrawn from the continent’s second tier competition./

Almost one year to the date, AFC did likewise after Mohun Bagan said they were not going for the tie to Sepahan. Explaining their decision, the club also said last Saturday that they had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to seek a fair resolution. Like last year, it was normal service in Iran football with matches being conducted in the Persian Gulf Pro League and in Asian competitions. Unlike last year, they were not happening with Iran firing missiles at Israel in the backdrop.

Terse message

So, what happened this time? Beyond a statement terse and confusing, Mohun Bagan have conveyed little to their supporters. Showing the kind of cohesion they could not against Ahal FK, some of their players did speak on social media. Using an AFC statement from 2020, Subhasish Bose even asked whether being a club from India led to the match not being shifted to a neutral venue? Jamie Maclaren said on Instagram that Australians cannot travel to Iran.

Then through selective, anonymous drip feeds to the media, Mohun Bagan conveyed that they had repeatedly contacted the Indian Embassy in Iran and AFC but received no response from either. Exactly what was sought from the embassy was not explained nor why the officials at the club were sharing what had the look and feel of a self-goal.

Mohun Bagan knew from August 15 when the draw for ACL2 was made that they would have to travel to Iran. The club have not detailed what they did in the 45 days in between and why they could not get a special insurance cover like the India cricket team did on their tour of Pakistan in 2004. Before Mohun Bagan played Ahal, head coach Jose Molina spoke of trying to show that they were great not just in India. There is little to suggest that Iran is less safe now than when Molina said what he did. Unless CAS decides otherwise, Mohun Bagan face a fine and ban or both from AFC.

Opinions on social media can shift 180 degrees in a heartbeat but right now, the mood among many Mohun Bagan supporters is somewhere between embarrassment and anger, more of the latter. Reports on social media of some players heading off to a short holiday abroad have not helped. This term, Mohun Bagan have refused to release players for India assignments and said they would not play the Durand Cup and the IFA Shield before changing their mind on both. Such stands do not exactly convey that a club is keen on making the most of so little football on offer.

By the time they take part in the Super Cup, on which they have written to All India Football Federation (AIFF) asking for a reduction on the number of foreigners, Mohun Bagan’s expensively assembled squad will have played five matches in over two months. Pep Guardiola saying Rodri is not fit yet to play three matches in one week and FIFPRO talking about players not getting enough time to rest and recover feel like they are happening in another world, in another sport.

FC Goa have lost both their matches in ACL2 0-2. **Source: AIFF**

The move to CAS came when the ink had barely dried on the Supreme Court’s judgment on the constitution of the AIFF. It is another chapter in the Indian football story which has seen more action in courts than on the pitch. Appointments stay questioned, clubs have complained against relegation, sought intervention from CAS to claim a title and are still waiting for the trophy despite a verdict in their favour.
In all this trying to get the conversation back to football seems an almost Sisyphean task. Consider this: the only ISL team getting any competitive action over the next three weeks is FC Goa, who lost again in ACL2, and they will be playing once.

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In other news

Trump tackled: U.S. President Donald Trump was reminded on Wednesday that FIFA, not any government, ultimately decides which cities will host 2026 World Cup games, reports AP. Trump suggested last week he could declare cities “not safe” and alter a detailed hosting plan that FIFA confirmed in 2022. “It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions,” the soccer body’s vice president Victor Montagliani said at a sports business conference in London. “With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them and football will survive their regime and their government and their slogans,” Montagliani said in an on-stage interview.

Luis Enrique’s daughter Xana died in 2019 from cancer. Source: **@brfootball on X**

Barca-PSG gesture: Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain will auction the shirts worn by their players in Wednesday’s Champions League game to help the foundation named after Luis Enrique’s late daughter, reports AP. Xana, the daughter of the PSG coach, died at age 9 in 2019 following a battle against a type of bone cancer. PSG players wore the Xana Foundation logo on their jerseys, which will be auctioned with “the entirety of the proceeds” going to the foundation. Barcelona said the proceeds of the auction of their shirts will go to the Blaugrana Wristbands programme, which will then make a donation to Xana’s foundation. The foundation led by Luis Enrique provides medical, social and emotional support to children with serious illnesses and their families.

Valencia lawsuit against Netflix: Valencia said they have filed a lawsuit against Netflix claiming falsehoods in a documentary about Brazil player Vinícius Júnior, reports AP. Valencia said the documentary mistakenly accused a large group of Valencia fans of making racist chants against the Real Madrid forward in a La Liga match in 2023. The club filed the lawsuit for damaging “Valencia’s honour” after public demands for corrections by the documentary’s production company were not fulfilled.

Malaysia to appeal: Malaysian football officials have blamed a “technical error” in the document submission process for an Asian Cup qualifier, which prompted FIFA to suspend seven of the country’s national players, says AFP. The Football Association of Malaysia vowed to fight FIFA’s ruling that has sent shockwaves through the football-mad nation, saying so-called “heritage” or naturalised players were legitimate citizens. FIFA slapped a year-long ban on the group – including centre-back Facundo Garces, 26, the first naturalised Malaysian to play in Spain’s La Liga – accusing the FAM of using “doctored documentation to be able to field the players”. In a ruling that sparked anger in Malaysia, FIFA also hit the FAM with a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs ($440,000).

SA likely to contest FIFA verdict: The South African Football Association said it plans to appeal a FIFA ruling that stripped the men’s national team of a win in 2026 World Cup qualifying over fielding an ineligible player, says AP. The FIFA judgment on Monday to overturn a 2-0 win against Lesotho in March as a 3-0 loss by default knocked South Africa off top spot with two rounds left in a qualifying group that ends in two weeks. SAFA did not have the chance to make legal arguments to the single FIFA judge who decided the case, it claimed in a statement late Monday.

In his first match at West Ham, Nuno Espirito Santo won a point. **Source:** **@premierleague on X**

Santos for West Ham: West Ham hired Nuno Espirito Santo as their new manager just hours after sacking Graham Potter on Saturday, reports AFP. Nuno, axed by Nottingham Forest earlier this season, agreed a three-year contract with the Premier League strugglers and won a point in his first match in charge, a 1-1 draw with Everton.

Title for Farook HS: Farook Higher Secondary School, Kerala, won the junior boys’ title of the 64th Subroto Cup International tournament with a 2-0 win over the Amenity Public School, CBSE on September 25., reports PTI. Takhellamba (20’) and Adikrishna (62’) scored for the winners. The winners received Rs 5 lakh, the runners-up Rs 3 lakh.

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Iconic moment

India in seventh heaven

India beat Bangladesh on penalties for their seventh under-17 SAFF Championship title. **Source: AIFF**

India clinched their seventh SAFF U17 Championship crown, holding their nerves to edge past Bangladesh 4-1 in a tense penalty shootout in Colombo on Saturday after open play failed to break a 2-2 deadlock , reports PTI. India led 2-1 at half-time through goals from Dallamuon Gangte (4’) and Azlaan Shah KH (38’), Bangladesh clawed back with a last-minute equaliser from Ihsan Habib Riduan to level things up at 2-2 and force a shootout. Dallalmuon Gangte, Korou Meitei Konthoujam, and Indra Rana Magar converted with aplomb before Shubham Poonia slotted home the decisive fourth kick. Two players from Bangladesh missed and a third shot was saved by India goalie Manashjyoti Baruah.