Agencies Kolkata
The AFC has come down hard on Indian Super League champion Mohun Bagan Super Giant, banning the club from continental football for up to two seasons and hitting it with a massive fine after its refusal to travel for an AFC Champions League Two group game in September.
In a decision announced following the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee meeting on December 17, the club was disqualified from “the next AFC club competition for which it would otherwise qualify” through the 2027-28 season and fined approximately INR 3.6 crore (USD 400,729). The financial hit alone eclipses the INR 3.5 crore Bagan earned for winning the ISL Shield — the very route that booked its place in Asia.
The punishment stems from the club’s decision not to travel to Iran for its ACL 2 group clash against Sepahan, with Bagan citing visa issues for several foreign players — including forwards Jamie Maclaren and Jason Cummings — as the primary reason.
It marks the second consecutive season Bagan have withdrawn from a fixture in Iran. Last season, the club skipped its group match against Tractor SC amid heightened regional tension after Iran launched ballistic strikes toward Israel. That absence was treated as force majeure, sparing Bagan from severe discipline.
