There was a tone of hopelessness in the words of Mohun Bagan Super Giant coach Jose Molina before Kolkata’s derby against East Bengal in the Super Cup on Friday.
It wasn’t for his team; he was confident that Bagan would defeat his arch-rival. Instead, this was due to the lack of certainty over the men’s top flight in the country and poor attendance at Super Cup matches.
«We’re going to fight for them and try to make them happy. It’s better if we can have them in the stadium because they really support us and push us to fight even more,» Molina said before the derby.
Bagan have played two matches so far at the Panit Jawaharlal Nehru in Goa, the venue of the derby, but the total attendance is barely into four figures.
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The Super Cup is the first competition of the 2025-2026 Indian football season. This time last year, seven rounds of the Indian Super League (ISL) had been completed.
«This season has not been easy for anyone because there is no competition and no matches. If you cannot play matches, it is very difficult to get the best out of yourself. With training alone you can get close to your best, but you will not reach your top level.»
To make matters worse, Indian clubs have no idea what to expect after the tournament. There is no certainty about ISL this season as the league’s commercial partners are yet to be decided by the All India Football Federation.
«I don’t know,» Molina said, shaking his head, «what we want is to qualify for the semi-finals. It’s always difficult to play against East Bengal because they fight and have good players. But we feel we can do it.»
Published on October 30, 2025
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