Kolkata: The Kolkata Giants indirectly have threatened to “boycott” the all important meeting at Kua Lumpur with AIFF, the clubs, AFC and the stakeholders on 7th June. In a meeting with the IFA, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan officials, along with the IFA Secretary, questioned the importance of the presence of the stakeholders in the all important meeting in the next month. IFA secretary Utpal Ganguli said there was no need of any intervention from the AFC.
“You (AIFF) are yet to share the roadmap, you have to first share it. It’s purely a domestic issue between the clubs and the AIFF. It’s not an AFC issue.
We want to discuss it and then we will see about June 7 meeting and it’s relevance. We will decide after getting your reply. Hope the AIFF will sort this out after receiving the letter,” Ganguli said adding that he would write to the AIFF on May 29.
East Bengal and Mohun Bagan officially announces a mutiny against the parent body of Indian football – The AIFF. Today, the Kolkata giants have made it clear that they are not at all happy with the stand and activities of the AIFF and will be going for a further and stronger protest if they continue to ignore the two most historic clubs from India. Mohun Bagan Secretary Anjan Mitra also said with a hint of threat, “No East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, no ISL.”
In the meeting, East Bengal representatives Debabrata Sarkar, Kalyan Majumder and Dr. Shanti Ranjan Dasgupta were present along with Mohun Bagan representatives Satyajit Chatterjee, Anjan Mitra and Debasish Dutta. IFA Secretary Utpal Ganguly was also present. The Mohun Bagan and East Bengal officials made three things clear in the meeting. Firstly, The Kolkata giants are ready to play in a proposed “merger” league. But they neither pay any appearance fee, nor they play outside Kolkata. Secondly, the two clubs are even ready to play the I-League, but for that, the two leagues have to be played in four months each and not at the same time. But both the clubs totally rejected to accept the proposal of two leagues for seven months simultaneously.
Bitter rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal officials today came together perhaps for the first time in an unprecedented show of strength and warned that they would “not allow” to Indian Super League to take place if they were not inducted.
“We cannot tolerate AIFF’s torture anymore. We have just decided one thing in our meeting — No Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, no ISL. We will not allow ISL here,” Mohun Bagan general secretary Anjan Mitra told reporters after a joint meeting with state body Indian Football Association.
“We will not allow business in the name of football. Money can’t buy you everything. Football will be played like football. We want all of your cooperation in such a movement,” he added.
But as of now the Big Twos will follow the path of peace before thinking of a revolt but they maintained that they would not allow two leagues to take place simultaneously.
The two clubs have been invited to participate in an all stakeholders meeting under the aegis of Asian Football Confederation at its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on June 7 with an agenda to discuss the roadmap for the future of Indian football.
But the two clubs have not decided whether to attend the meeting and instead the IFA will shot off a letter to the AIFF asking about the “roadmap” which was promised to them by the president Praful Patel in their June 7 meeting in Mumbai.
With the logjam in prevailing for the induction of two Maidan heavyweights in the I-League, the AIFF has mooted the idea of two leagues to run parallel.
“There’s no question of a parallel tournament,” East Bengal official Debabrata Sarkar said.
“The (June 7) meeting was an eyewash. If Praful babu (AIFF president wants we can play ISL. He doesn’t want so it’s not happening. In my personal opinion, he’s the only hurdle.”
“We know we have the support of the millions of our supporters. However it’s not the time for protest,” Sarkar said.
Asked if I-League remains the official top-tier league, Mohun Bagan’s finance Debashish Dutta said: “They are promoting ISL in a big way, making it commercially, visually the No 1 tournament.
“It’s a move to dilute I-League. There’ no taker for I-League . Why two parallel tournaments. It’s a way of compromise. The motive is to have a long tournament afterall,” Dutta said.
The two clubs have not submitted the Invitation to Bid documents with their main demand of the waiver of the franchisee fee.
Apart from that they have asked for money of the central pool and would like to play the tournament in Kolkata.
But Dutta said they are ready to compromise on venue.
“CM (Mamata Banerjee) said don’t worry about venue we will bring out a solution by talking to three clubs (with Atletico de Kolkata). Venue will not be a problem. It’s secondary. Primary concern is is franchise fees,” Dutta said.