Mohun Bagan Hit With AFC Ban, Rs 91 Lakh Penalty For Pulling Out Of Champions League Two

At a time when Indian football is staring at unprecedented uncertainty with its domestic season in limbo, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Wednesday delivered a triple blow to the country’s top club, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, slapping a continental ban and imposing fines to the tune of $100,729 (Rs 91 lakh approximately) for withdrawing from the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two.

The AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee ruled the reigning Indian Super League champions wrongfully withdrew from the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two following their refusal to travel to Iran for a group-stage match against Sepahan SC and handed one-season ban from AFC competition.

In their decision numbered VVC 20251217DC21, the committee held the Kolkata heavyweights guilty of breaching Article 5 (Withdrawal from the Competition) of the ACL Two Competition Regulations after the club failed to fulfil its fixture once the group stage had already commenced.

As part of the sanctions, the Mariners were "fined $50,000," ordered to pay "$50,729 as compensation for damages and losses" claimed by the AFC and Sepahan SC, and "disqualified from participating in the next AFC club competition for which they would otherwise qualify, with the ban remaining effective up to and including the 2027–28 season."

The committee also ruled that Mohun Bagan would forfeit all subsidies linked to their participation in the 2025-26 ACL Two season, including participation fees, performance bonuses and travel subsidies.

Any amount already paid by the AFC must be repaid within 30 days of the decision being communicated.

"The compensation shall be paid to the AFC within thirty (30) days of the date that this Decision is communicated," the order stated.

Terming the decision "biased," a Mohun Bagan official told PTI that their matter is already pending at the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the supreme or final arbitral body for resolving international sports-related legal disputes and they were "hoping for a resolution."

"It's a biased decision against our club; our matter is pending at CAS and we're hopeful of a resolution. However, the club may pay up the fines," he said.

The ruling follows Mohun Bagan’s decision not to travel to Iran citing player safety concerns after six foreign players declined to make the trip following advisories from their respective governments.

The club had sought a change of venue and later approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but the AFC deemed the action as a withdrawal, triggering strict disciplinary action.

The case had parallels with the previous season, when Mohun Bagan were similarly deemed withdrawn after failing to travel to Iran to face Tractor SC amid regional tensions but they had escaped sanction back then.