LONDON, ENGLAND: Mohun Bagan’s decision to withdraw its entire contingent from the India squad ahead of the Unity Cup has, quite understandably, ruffled a few feathers. Unofficially called the ‘national club of India’, Bagan’s stance has shaken at the very foundation of Indian football, and belied the contributions that clubs regularly have to make towards national interest.
The Bagan administration’s decision was based on the ill-founded belief that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is likely to forego all responsibility when it comes to tending to injured players since this tournament falls outside a FIFA international window. Nonetheless, this call has only fractured the already-fragmented relationship the two parties (Bagan and the AIFF) enjoy.
The Mariners are not in a good place presently, having lost out on defending their Indian Super League title by goal difference to their neighbours East Bengal. That the decision to withdraw their players from the national camp on the final day of the ISL season came from a place of bitterness cannot be overlooked, and yet one cannot trust such monumental calls to have been taken in the heat of the moment.
What has, instead, transpired is that this decision has cost at least seven Mohun Bagan players big, and denied them the biggest honour one can boast of in sport – to represent one’s country. That India were going back to the land of our colonial oppressors after 24 years only added to the magnitude of the occasion, and no one else, except Mohun Bagan’s players, will rue the decision taken by their club.
Since the decision was conveyed post-haste and at virtually the eleventh hour, India’s head coach Khalid Jamil suddenly found himself without seven key players and without enough time to name replacements. Still, Hrithik Tewari, Macarton Nickson and Nikhil Barla joined the team on the eve of the game, while Mohammed Sanan and Vikram Partap Singh arrived even later.
Mohun Bagan must be punished by AIFF
India did find the replacements and were given visas by the United Kingdom, but the players called up later had no time to acclimatise themselves or train with the side before joining up. This was reflected in the Blue Tigers‘ 0-2 defeat to Jamaica in the semifinal played in London on Wednesday, May 27. Singh and Sanan were even brought on in the second half by Khalid, but little could be salvaged.
While the burden of India’s defeat to the Reggae Boyz cannot fall entirely on Mohun Bagan’s shoulders, the AIFF must find a way to punish the club. Not selecting their players for future tournaments may be a good way to start, as it can potentially lead to top players deserting the club and seeking their fortunes elsewhere. Once it becomes known that anyone who turns up for Mohun Bagan is persona non grata, such a devious attitude from the club is bound to change.
On the other hand, punishing players for the shortcomings of administrators may seem a bit harsh to the radicals amongst us, and so another way can be found to decimate any opposition a club can pose to the federation. Imposing financial penalties is a good way to dictate terms to Mohun Bagan; failing which, the rejection of all their players may be taken up.
The country comes first, and such anti-national behaviour by the Mariners has no place in Indian football, especially after the AIFF has categorically denied any allegations of them not tending to injured players outside FIFA windows. It is downright shameful that a club of such huge stature has to resort to tactics of fragmentation and vicious politics – at the cost of hurting its own players – merely to prove a point to the AIFF.
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