MBSG likely to face ‘Asia ban’ from AFC!
Mohun Bagan Super Giants are likely to face suspension from the Asian Football Council for a few more seasons from participating in the AFC Club competitions after the team refused to travel to Iran to take part in their AFC Champions League-2 away match against Sepahan FC due to security reasons. According to Article 5.2, MBSG were deemed to have withdrawn from the ACL-2, the second-tier club competition in Asia. Bagan also declined to visit Iran last season for safety reasons but avoided sanctions—apart from removal from the competition—as it was deemed a ‘force majeure’ situation. AFC’s relevant committees will now review the situation in detail after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) denied MBSG’s urgent request for an ex parte provisional ruling. Notably, the AFC highlighted that two other teams, from the UAE and Bahrain, traveled to Iran to participate in continental matches. Additionally, a match commissioner from Kolkata, Arunava Bhattacharya, traveled to Iran for Esteghlal FC’s home fixture against Al-Muharraq. Article 5.7 of the competition regulations says that if a club pulls out of the competition at any stage, the case will be referred to AFC Disciplinary ad Ethics Committee and along with a penalty of at least 50000 US Dollars, the club might be suspended from participating in one or more future seasons of the AFC Club competitions.
