I-League 2018: Mohun Bagan need sponsors to play in ISL, says club president
What's the story?
In a very uncomfortable day at the Mohun Bagan ground, club chief Anjan Mitra was forced to accept Swapan Sadhan Bose as the President of the Kolkata outfits. Just before the Annual General Meeting, a brawl broke out amongst the two sections of the supporters, one in favour of Anjan and the other against. In another development, it was confirmed that the century-old club will be converted to a public limited company.
Club president Swapan Sadhan Bose also clarified that the Bagan's entry into the Indian Super League (ISL) is dependent on sponsorship deals.
In case you didn't know...
Mohun Bagan has been through a roller-coaster ride in the past few months, with dark clouds looming over their administrative wing. While the majority of the previous executive members resigning from their post, it was a dire situation at the century-old club. Not happy with the superior officials, many committee members showed discontent, after which a unanimous decision was taken to change the club to a public limited one.
The heart of the matter
"We are converting the club from private limited to public limited for the greater good of the club. We have been trying for 10 years to make it a private limited company but later we found that if we cannot involve the members then we are on the wrong path,” said Anjan Mitra at the AGM amidst much chaos and confusion.
Throwing light on their participation in the Indian Super League, Swapan Sadhan Bose said that the club has to find sponsors, only then the green and maroon can participate. Regarding the matter, he said, "This year East Bengal will play ISL. We have been also asked whether we want to play ISL or not. They have also given us the green signal that we can play from Kolkata. A 10-year agreement with 40 crores per year sponsor is needed. Only then we can play ISL.”
What's next?
With the Calcutta Football League round the corner, the Mohun Bagan needs to find solutions for their lingering problems. It is high time that a stable administration sustains, or else it may affect the club and their performance as well. The Kolkata giants still have a few months left before the all-important I-League kicks off.