ASIAN FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION (AFC) has handed a triple blow to Mohun Bagan Super Giant, imposing a continental ban and fines totaling $100,729 for withdrawing from the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two.
The AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee also declared that Mohun Bagan would forfeit all subsidies associated with their participation in the 2025–26 ACL Two, including participation fees, performance bonuses and travel subsidies.
The committee ruled that the reigning Indian Super League (ISL) champions wrongfully pulled out of the competition after refusing to travel to Iran for a group-stage fixture against Sepahan SC. The decision has resulted in a one-season ban from AFC competitions. Mohun Bagan had cited player safety concerns, stating that six foreign players declined to make the trip after advisories were issued by their respective governments.
In its order, the committee found the Kolkata-based club in breach of Article 5 (Withdrawal from the Competition) of the ACL Two Competition Regulations, noting that the club failed to fulfil its fixture after the group stage had already begun.
As part of the sanctions, Mohun Bagan have been fined $50,000 and ordered to pay $50,729 as compensation for damages and losses claimed by the AFC and Sepahan SC. The club has also been disqualified from participating in the next AFC club competition for which it would otherwise qualify, with the ban remaining in force up to and including the 2027–28 season.
Reacting to the ruling, a Mohun Bagan official described the decision as “biased”, telling PTI that the matter is already pending before the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the final authority for resolving international sports-related disputes. “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,” the official said.
The club had initially sought a change of venue and later approached CAS, but the AFC classified the move as a withdrawal, triggering disciplinary action.
The case mirrors the previous season, when Mohun Bagan were similarly deemed to have withdrawn after failing to travel to Iran to face Tractor SC amid regional tensions, though they avoided sanctions on that occasion. The club’s “repeat offender tag” is more than likely what led to the heavy financial sanctions, on top of the ban.
In a separate ruling, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee fined the All India Football Federation (AIFF) $1,000 for delaying the restart of the second half during India’s AFC Asian Cup 2027 final-round qualifier against Bangladesh on 18 November. The committee found that AIFF representatives caused a delay of one minute and 43 seconds, breaching Article 2 (Official Countdown) of the AFC Competitions Operations Manual.
In another decision, FC Goa were fined $5,000 for failing to ensure stadium safety during their AFC Champions League Two group-stage match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr on 22 October. The committee ruled that the club breached Article 64 (Organisation of Matches) of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code after a spectator entered the area surrounding the field of play following the match.
Whichever way one slices and dices the actions by the AFC, the sanctions, when looked at in totality, make clear that across the continent, not just in regards to the AIFF, but also the clubs in the Indian football ecosystem, are now being perceived as being seriously deficient on governance norms.
