AFC bans India's Mohun Bagan, imposes fine after club declines Iran fixture
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "AFC bans India's Mohun Bagan, imposes fine after club declines Iran fixture")
AFC bans India's Mohun Bagan Super Giant Photograph: (MBSG)
The Indian club had also skipped a match in Iran last year against Tractor SC, scheduled for Oct 2, 2024, following Iran’s ballistic missiles launch towards Israel. As a result, they were withdrawn from the tournament.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has banned Indian club Mohun Bagan Super Giant from all its competitions and fined the club for more than $100,000 after it refused to play a match in Iran. The club did not travel for its Asian Champions League Two group match against Sepahan in September, citing that they do not receive proper security guarantees or medical insurance coverage. In a statement released on Wednesday, the AFC said its disciplinary and ethics committee has banned Mohun Bagan from the next edition of the competition, with the ban lasting until the 2027-28 season.
One of Asia’s oldest football clubs, Mohun Bagan, was also fined for $50,000 and ordered to pay an additional $50,729 to cover the losses faced by the AFC and Sepahan.
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After the team failed to show up in the competition, the AFC removed Mohun Bagan from the tournament and cancelled all their match results.
Earlier, the club had asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to move the match to a neutral location, but the request was turned down.
“The players decided they can’t take this risk, where lives and their families’ future are at stake. So we have to stand with them,” a senior Mohun Bagan official told the Reuters news agency.
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“Mohun Bagan have five players from Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom, countries that have advised their citizens against travel to Iran,” the official added.
The Indian club had also skipped a match in Iran last year against Tractor SC, scheduled for Oct 2, 2024, following Iran’s ballistic missiles launch towards Israel. As a result, they were withdrawn from the tournament.
With inputs from agencies