Mohammedan Sporting: Alive but not kicking

A serious lack of positive outlook has hindered the progress of Mohammedan Sporting club, who are now begging the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to consider them for a place in the I-League.

I feel Sporting is too big an institution to actually ask for this kind of favour from the Federation, who, however, will consider performance as the only yardstick to include any teams in I-League and not the club’s rich history.

But after AIFF ‘considered’ Mohun Bagan’s appeal as a club ‘steeped in history’ and then replaced their ban with a monetary fine, Mohammedan Sporting club officials too went all out to garner support not only from East Bengal but also from Bagan so that they can find a short-cut route to the League.

While East Bengal has been coaxing the Federation officials, Sporting are also pressing hard for an entry in the elite League as they feel the club also has some historical significance just like Bagan and deserve to be treated equally.

Still, I fail to understand why Sporting officials want a wild-card entry when they don’t really deserve to be considered for the I-League.

The club officials claimed they were denied a place in the I-League last year due to poor refereeing in their crucial I-League qualification match against United Sikkim. But such reasoning won’t convince us now.

Another big issue for the club is lack of funds. Generating funds has been a big headache for Sporting. Offset by their poor performances in the domestic season and a general lack of interest, sponsors aren’t too keen to invest in them. Due to lack of financial support, the club management could recruit only those players who were rejected by Bagan and East Bengal. Now that Prayag United has replaced Sporting as the third force in Calcutta football, the century-old club face an uphill task to regain their lost image.

Like East Bengal and Bagan, Sporting is still one of the largest fan-based clubs, not only in India but across the border as well. I know one Sporting fan from Bangladesh, S Enam Murshed, who comes over all the way from Dhaka to watch the team in action in Calcutta. Such has been Sporting’s popularity.

A little bit of smart marketing would have done a world of good for the club, which was founded in 1891, just two years after Bagan came into existence.

Till the early 90s, the club was managed by passionate members and was funded by city’s top businessmen and even got donations from all quarters of India, including thespian Dilip Kumar. Also, how can we forget Irfan Taher Randerian’s contribution in the early 80s? Taher’s love for football and financial clout made Sporting one of the best teams between 1980-84. But when his business suffered losses, the club lacked monetary aid.

Besides, generous contributions from other city-based businessmen also stopped once the performance dipped. After Taher left, the club witnessed a reign of terror under Mir Mohammad Omar. He intimidated players (Chima Okorie slapping incident), officials and members which had a huge impact on the club’s future.

Today, it’s really difficult to reinvigorate and motivate them.

Bagan and East Bengal has survived because of their dedicated approach. Consistency, both on and off the field, is one of the reasons why Sporting has been docked. They will do well in one match but will come a cropper in the next. The team always seems to be suffering from a self-belief. Also, the players, unlike in other clubs, don’t get a good incentive. And, that’s not possible because Sporting don’t have a backing from any big sponsors.

Despite being a community-based club like Bagan and East Bengal, Sporting has completely failed to build a solid foundation. In 1940, Sporting became the first club to win the triple crown — the Calcutta League, Durand and Rovers Cup. The last time the team won the local League was in 1981. Their Federation Cup triumphs were in 1983 and 1984. But due to inept performances, the club faded into oblivion in the 90s.

The fans also lost hope and they quickly realised that their favourite club is no more a force to reckon with in Indian football.