Bagan’s AFC Champions League 2 match was supposed to take place at 9:30 PM IST on Wednesday at the Yadegar Imam Stadium in Tabriz in the north of the country. (X/Mohun Bagan Super Giant)
Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan Super Giant will not be travelling to Iran for their Asian Football Confederation Champions League 2 match against Iran Pro League club Tractor SC, citing security concerns in the wake of the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli air strike in Lebanon – after which Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared a five-day public mourning.
Bagan’s AFC Champions League 2 match was supposed to take place at 9:30 PM IST on Wednesday at the Yadegar Imam Stadium in Tabriz in the north of the country. The Kolkata-based club started its continental campaign with a 0-0 draw at Tajikistan League club Ravshan last month.
“We have written several letters to the Asian Football Confederation and the All India Football Federation. We wrote to AFC yesterday as well that our players would have needed proper security and have already written to us saying they don’t want to go to Iran. In this situation when nobody wants to go, we have written to AFC for different solutions like shifting the match to a different place,” a Mohun Bagan official told The Indian Express.
“Three days ago, they (AFC) had written to us that the situation was okay and that the security situation was under control, but the situation has changed in the last three days. We are expecting a letter from them. We have made our arguments and given our proofs.”
The continental body is yet to decide if the match would go ahead at a neutral venue. The likely outcome, according to the AFC Champions League 2 rulebook, is that Bagan would have to forfeit the match, with a 3-0 margin in favour of Tractor SC. The Indian club would also likely be fined by the AFC to the tune of $50,000, and could also be slapped with a possible ban from the competition for multiple years. Article 5.7.2.2 states the fine to be ‘at least USD50,000 if the withdrawal occurred after the commencement of the Group Stage’.
The Asian Football Confederation didn’t respond to questions at the time of print. They released a brief statement on their website which stated: “The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has taken note of Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s intentions not to travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran for the club’s AFC Champions League Two 2024-25 Group A fixture against Tractor SC, which is scheduled to take place on October 2, 2024, at the Yadegar Imam Stadium in Tabriz.” The release also stated that the matter would be referred to the relevant AFC Committees.
Reluctance of players
Bagan stated that many of its players had written to them stating that they were not comfortable travelling to Iran in the present circumstances. Three of Mohun Bagan’s foreign players are from Australia, a country that has imposed sanctions against Iran.
Australia’s travel advisory states, “We continue to advise to not travel to Iran. Terrorist attacks could happen anywhere in Iran, including Tehran or other locations frequented by foreigners and tourists. They could occur anytime without warning. Protests and demonstrations continue to be expected. Avoid all protest activity and monitor the media for possible threats. Australians, including dual nationals, should strongly consider leaving Iran as soon as possible.”
One player and three members of the coaching team hail from Spain, a country that has also advised against traveling to Iran. Other foreign players and coaching staff are from Scotland and Portugal.
Portugal states, ‘Any and all trips to Iran are absolutely discouraged’, while Scots have also been asked to not visit Iran. Air India flights have been avoiding Iranian airspace since April 2024 due to the tense situation in the region.
