Indian football giants Mohun Bagan Super Giant have been banned from Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions and fined over $100,000 after refusing to travel to Iran for their AFC Champions League 2 match against Sepahan SC in September.
The AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee announced on Wednesday that Mohun Bagan will be excluded from their next eligible AFC competition, potentially affecting their participation up to the 2027–28 season.
In addition to the ban, the club has been fined $50,000 and ordered to pay $50,729 in damages and losses incurred by the AFC and Sepahan SC. The club also forfeits any participation subsidy for the continental second-tier tournament.
Mohun Bagan withdrew from the group stage match citing security concerns and lack of medical insurance coverage in Iran. Their matches were subsequently declared null and void by the AFC.
The club had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to relocate the match to a neutral venue, but the request was denied.
A senior Mohun Bagan official told Reuters, “The players decided they cannot take this risk, where lives and their families’ future are at stake. So we have to stand with them.” The official also noted that the club has players from Australia, Spain, and the United Kingdom, countries that have advised against travel to Iran.
This is not the first time Mohun Bagan has refused to travel to Iran. In October 2024, the club withdrew from a match against Tractor SC scheduled the day after Iran launched ballistic missiles towards Israel, leading to their withdrawal from the tournament.
Mohun Bagan officials have indicated that they are considering an appeal against the suspension.
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