Mohun Bagan hit with AFC ban, USD 100,729 fine

Kolkata: At a time when Indian football is staring at unprecedented uncertainty with its domestic season in limbo, the Asian Football Confederation on Wednesday delivered a triple blow to the country’s top club, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, slapping a continental ban and imposing fines to the tune of USD 100,729 (INR 91 lakh approximately) for withdrawing from the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two.

The AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee ruled the reigning Indian Super League champions wrongfully withdrew from the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two following their refusal to travel to Iran for a group-stage match against Sepahan SC and handed one-season ban from AFC competition.

In their decision numbered VVC 20251217DC21, the committee held the Kolkata heavyweights guilty of breaching Article 5 (Withdrawal from the Competition) of the ACL Two Competition Regulations after the club failed to fulfil its fixture once the group stage had already commenced.

As part of the sanctions, the Mariners were "fined USD 50,000", ordered to pay "USD 50,729 as compensation for damages and losses" claimed by the AFC and Sepahan SC, and "disqualified from participating in the next AFC club competition for which they would otherwise qualify, with the ban remaining effective up to and including the 2027–28 season".

The committee also ruled that Mohun Bagan would forfeit all subsidies linked to their participation in the 2025-26 ACL Two season, including participation fees, performance bonuses and travel subsidies.

Any amount already paid by the AFC must be repaid within 30 days of the decision being communicated.

"The compensation shall be paid to the AFC within thirty (30) days of the date that this Decision is communicated," the order stated.

Terming the decision "biased", a Mohun Bagan official told PTI that their matter is already pending at the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the supreme or final arbitral body for resolving international sports-related legal disputes and they were "hoping for a resolution".

"It's a biased decision against our club; our matter is pending at CAS and we're hopeful of a resolution. However, the club may pay up the fines," he said.

The ruling follows Mohun Bagan’s decision not to travel to Iran citing player safety concerns after six foreign players declined to make the trip following advisories from their respective governments.

The club had sought a change of venue and later approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but the AFC deemed the action as a withdrawal, triggering strict disciplinary action.

The case had parallels with the previous season, when Mohun Bagan were similarly deemed withdrawn after failing to travel to Iran to face Tractor SC amid regional tensions but they had escaped sanction back then.

AIFF fined USD 1,000 for delayed restart

In a separate decision (VVC 20251217DC08), the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee fined the All India Football Federation USD 1,000 for delaying the restart of the second half during India’s AFC Asian Cup 2027 final-round qualifier against Bangladesh on November 18, 2025.

The committee found that the AIFF’s representatives caused a delay of one minute and 43 seconds in the commencement of the second period, thereby breaching Article 2 (Official Countdown) of the AFC Competitions Operations Manual.

The AIFF was held guilty under Article 2.2 of the manual and ordered to settle the fine within 30 days, in accordance with Article 11.3 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code.

FC Goa fined USD 5,000 for security lapse

In another ruling (VVC 20251217DC19), the AFC committee imposed a fine of USD 5,000 on FC Goa for failing to ensure stadium safety during their AFC Champions League Two group-stage match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr on October 22.

The committee found FC Goa in violation of Article 64 (Organization of Matches) of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code after a spectator invaded the area surrounding the field of play following the match.

The ruling stated that the club failed to fully comply with safety regulations and did not take all precautions demanded by the circumstances to maintain law and order in and around the stadium. FC Goa have been ordered to pay the fine within 30 days from the date of communication of the decision.

The AFC’s disciplinary action comes at a time when Indian football is grappling with deep administrative and structural paralysis.

The domestic season remains in limbo with no confirmation on the ISL, I-League or I-League 2, the country’s top three divisions.

The uncertainty follows the expiry of the 15-year agreement between Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) and the AIFF on December 8, leaving the future of the top-tier unresolved.

The ISL usually begins in September, while the I-League was scheduled to start on October 19, as per the federation’s own calendar.

With the impasse dragging on, the Union Sports Ministry, led by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, has stepped in, holding meetings with all stakeholders to break the deadlock and prevent a complete collapse of the domestic calendar.

A proposed resolution from the Ministry is expected within the next week, with officials racing against time amid fears that India could go without a men’s domestic league season for the first time since 1996 in a scenario that would further damage the country’s standing in Asian football.