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The ongoing Iran - Israel war situation has forced Mohun Bagan Super Giant to withdraw from the ongoing AFC Champions League Two. The Kolkata side decided not to travel to Iran for their fixture against Tractor FC that was scheduled to take place on October 2. However, in their latest official statement, AFC confirmed that Mohun Bagan are considered to have withdrawn from the league after they failed to report at Tabriz Yadegar-e Emam Stadium to face Tractor FC.
AFC have also cancelled all the remaining matches of Mohun Bagan in ongoing tournament. On the other hand, the club also confirmed that they refused to travel to Iran for the safety of their players. In their first match in the league, Mohun Bagan ended with a goalless draw against Tajikistan's FC Ravshan. A total of 35 players from the club, including seven foreign players, wrote to the AFC that they don’t want to travel to Iran at this point of time.
No points and goals in the club's matches shall be taken into consideration: AFC
In their official statement, AFC wrote that they have considered Mohun Bagan to have pulled out of the AFC Champions League Two after they failed to report for a match against Tractor FC. The AFC also mentioned that no points and goals from Mohun Bagan’s previous matches will be taken into consideration to determine after the end of the league stage. "Consequently, all matches played by Mohun Bagan SG are cancelled and considered null and void in accordance with Article 5.6 of Competition Regulations. For the avoidance of doubt, no points and goals in the club's matches shall be taken into consideration when determining the final rankings in Group A pursuant to Article 8.3 of the Competition Regulations,” AFC wrote as quoted in CNBC TV18.
However, a source from Mohun Bagan said that the club has decided not to travel to Iran for the safety of their players and asked the AFC to reschedule their matches. "So we tagged their letters and wrote to the AFC, asking them to either reschedule the match or move the game to a neutral venue. We have decided to not travel to Iran keeping our players' safety and security in mind, because that is paramount. We have also written to the ministry of external affairs as their advisory states that you can go to Iran or Israel on your own responsibility,” the Mohun Bagan source said.
