The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has barred Mohun Bagan Super Giant from all sanctioned competitions and imposed financial penalties exceeding $100,000 after the club declined to fulfill a fixture in Iran.
The Indian side failed to arrive for their scheduled Asian Champions League Two group encounter against Sepahan in September, citing the absence of comprehensive medical insurance and adequate security guarantees.
On Wednesday, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee issued a formal statement confirming that the club will remain ineligible for the continental second-tier tournament through the 2027-28 season.
As one of the most historic football entities in Asia, Mohun Bagan must now settle a $50,000 fine alongside an additional payment of $50,729 to cover the financial damages sustained by the AFC and Sepahan. The governing body effectively disqualified the team from the current campaign following their absence, subsequently nullifying all their previous match results.
Although the club petitioned the Court of Arbitration for Sport to relocate the match to a neutral territory, the judicial body dismissed the appeal. This incident follows a similar occurrence last year when the club refused to travel to Iran for a match against Tractor SC, which coincided with regional military escalations.
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