For the longest time, the murmurs were heard. And yet, there was a veneer of objectivity and rationality. Somewhere, there was still the notion that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), as a parent body, was objective. Not anymore. Not after it unilaterally announced that Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) had apparently withdrawn from the AFC Champions League Two because they hadn’t traveled to Iran.
The AFC did so ignoring a Government of India advisory dated October 2, which asked Indians to avoid non-essential travel to Iran given the geopolitical conditions prevalent there. Iran is currently a war zone and the escalation in conflict is evident to all.
When I spoke to senior MBSG officials at 2pm yesterday, they were stunned to hear of the AFC tweet. “We haven’t heard anything from the AFC,” said one. While most others did not want to be quoted, the consensus was that what had been done was grossly unfair. With the All India Football Federation (AIFF) silent, it remains to be seen if MBSG send another protest letter to the AFC, though it is now expected that nothing much will come of one.
The great Arrigo Sacchi, whose AC Milan side were one of the greatest of all time, once said: “Football is the most important of the least important things.” It put things into perspective quite beautifully. Sadly for Mohun Bagan, the AFC appears to lack that sort of wisdom.
Where the AFC erred badly was in not formally communicating the decision to the club. It is against all principles of good governance that the decision was announced on social media without the club knowing of it. By doing what it has, the AFC now runs the risk of being labelled an organisation which only safeguards the interests of clubs from a certain geographical region.
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Were the AFC able to do this because Indian football is just not good enough? Because India doesn’t really matter in global football and doesn’t have a voice? Is it taken for granted that the AIFF is weak and has no real say? One still hasn’t forgotten the goal given against India in that World Cup qualifier in Qatar, a goal that shattered the dream of making the third round of Asian qualification.
Could any organisation do this to the BCCI? The answer is no. With the AIFF not saying a word, it is as if MBSG are left alone to fend for themselves in this unfair fight. Even when the goal was given against India, the AIFF did nothing of consequence. There was just a meek letter proving how ineffective it is in global football politics.
What Mohun Bagan could do now is use their fan power and create a hue and cry on social media. In a day and age when social media campaigns have even decided national elections, it is foolish to underestimate the power of fandom. And that is the need of the hour. Raise voices against the injustice and the unfairness. And here, all Indian football fans should join in.
It is not about a club. Rather, it is about a club that were representing India. With all the MBSG players expressing their apprehensions about going into a war zone, and with Iran now shutting its air space, there is no debate that the club did the right thing by not traveling. Only the AFC, for reasons best known to them, have chosen to turn a blind eye. Whatever it is, it is far removed from the fair play so very essential to football.