Mohun Bagan suspends first-team activities and clarifies its position on releasing players for India duty

Indian Super League (ISL) champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant have decided to suspend first-team activities as the start of the next ISL season remains in limbo.

«The team would meet on November 10 and start preparations for the ISL the next day. However, since there is no clarity on when the league will actually start, this decision has been taken,» a source privy to the developments said. Sports stars.

“The club remains ready and prepared to get started as soon as the dates, or at least the provisional dates, are known.”

The future of the ISL has remained uncertain all year, with the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) set to expire in December.

As per the Supreme Court orders, the AIFF now has full control of the country’s top division – the ISL – and has floated a tender for commercial partners for the league for the next 15 years.

However, by the end of the deadline on November 7, no bid had been submitted.

“The AIFF Bid Evaluation Committee (headed by Justice LN Rao, while AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey is a member) will meet this weekend to assess the situation and deliberate on the future course of action,” the AIFF said in a statement on Friday.

Bittersweet campaign for Bagan so far

Bagan, after winning the ISL Cup and Shield last season, opened its 2025-26 campaign with the Durand Cup – an invitation-only tournament – ​​where it reached the quarter-finals.

In the ACL 2 it then faced Ahal Anew from Turkmenistan and lost 0-1.

However, due to logistical challenges – some foreign players were reportedly unable to obtain visas – the club decided not to travel to Iran for the away match against Sepahan SC. As a result, the Asian Football Confederation disqualified Bagan from the tournament, leading to protests from several of the team’s fan clubs.

However, Bagan calmed some sore nerves by winning the IFA Shield, beating East Bengal on penalties.

But in the AIFF Super Cup, East Bengal had the last laugh with a goalless draw against the Mariners, knocking them out of the tournament. The head coach, Jose Molina, has since had a falling out with the management and the club will decide his future after the future of ISL is decided.

«This season has not been easy for anyone because there is no competition, no matches. If you cannot play matches, it is very difficult to get the best out of yourself. With only training you can be close to your best, but you are not going to reach your best,» Molina had said earlier, spoiling the uncertainty surrounding the competition.

Bagan clarifies position on releasing players

The Mariners also made it clear that they refused to release players outside the FIFA international window to ‘protect the health, contractual rights and financial security of our players’.

Indian men’s head coach Khalid Jamil announced his likely selection for the third round AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh on November 5. No Bagan players were included in the list.

“We would like to make it clear that we have not placed any restrictions on players reporting for national camp from November 10, when the FIFA International Window officially begins,” the club said in a statement.

“The AIFF has chosen not to call up any Mohun Bagan players to the national team and we have no further comment on that decision.”

Bagan has at least 11 players who have donned the senior team jersey for India, including midfielders Sahal Abdul Samad and Lalengmawaia (Apuia) Ralte.

“We have informed both the AIFF and our players that if anyone chooses to join the camp outside the FIFA period, written confirmation will be required acknowledging that any injuries and associated contractual costs during the recovery period will need to be covered by them,” the club further added.

Published on November 8, 2025