Mohun Bagan Super Giants slapped with heavy fines and a ban from AFC competitions after refusing to play in Iran
- Anweshan Ghosh
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Mohun Bagan Super Giants, who claim to be the ‘national club of India’, have been banned from AFC competitions for refusing to play football matches in Iran, embarrassing the whole nation on the continental stage.
The Asian Football Confederation delivered another big blow to the defending ISL champions, issuing a fine worth $100,729 after the club withdrew from the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two for the second successive season.
The Mariners refused to travel to Iran for a group stage clash against Sepahan SC, which prompted the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee to take strict action on the club. Following the ongoing uncertainty around ISL and Indian football, Mohun Bagan’s shameful act has worsened India's image further in the globe.
The Kolkata giants were found guilty of breaching Article-5 of the ACL Two regulations after failing to complete their group stage fixtures once the group stage games had already begun.
The club has additionally also been fined around $50,000 for compensating the damage faced by Sepahan. This means even if the Kolkata giants manage to defend their ISL title, they will not be able to participate in next year's AFC Champions League Two competition.
The club cited player safety concerns as the Australian players refused to travel to Iran following advice from the respective government. MBSG had requested a change in venue for the game, but AFC refused, triggering the withdrawal from the competition for the second successive time.
In the previous season, the Kolkata giants refused to travel to Iran for their group stage clash against Tractor FC but were let go with just disqualification from that edition of the tournament. The organising body of Asian football has demanded Mohun Bagan pay the fine within 30 days.
The club, now owned by Sanjiv Goenka’s Super Giants franchise, has termed the decision as ‘biased’ and has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
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