The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has rescheduled matches across its tournaments due to the security situation in Iran — weeks after Indian club Mohun Bagan Super Giants were “withdrawn” from AFC competitions after refusing to play in the nation.
Mohun Bagan, from Kolkata, requested to Asian football’s governing body to reschedule their AFC Champions League Two — the nation’s second-tier competition — match against Tractor on October 2, which was due to take place in the Iranian city of Tabriz. Five days later, the AFC said the Indian club were “considered to have withdrawn” from the tournament due to their refusal to play in Iran.
Tractor’s home game against Tajikistani club Ravshan, scheduled for October 23, has been reversed to an ‘away’ fixture for the Iranian club, while Al Nassr’s AFC Champions League Elite game away against Tehran-based Esteghlal has been moved to the neutral venue of Dubai — where Iran’s World Cup qualifier against Qatar was played last week.
The AFC had said following “consultation with FIFA and the relevant stakeholders” that the “prevailing security situation” in Iran was behind the decision to move the World Cup qualifier to Dubai.
Mohun Bagan had been the only Indian representative among the 56 clubs in the top two AFC club competitions, but they will no longer participate in their group alongside Tractor, Ravshan and Al Wakrah, from Qatar.
In a statement earlier this month, the AFC said Mohun Bagan had been “considered to have withdrawn” from the tournament “after the club failed to report to Tabriz against Tractor.”
The statement added: “Consequently, all matches played by Mohun Bagan SG are cancelled and considered null and void in accordance with Article 5.6 of competition regulations.”
Mohun Bagan have now said this represents “unequal treatment” of their club, who they believe to have been unfairly punished.
In a statement to the Associated Press, the Kolkata club said: “The AFC has indeed recognised the volatility of the situation in Iran and as such, has rescheduled or shifted venues for several games.”
They added that this represented “unequal treatment” as the AFC had “failed to apply the same standard” to Mohun Bagan.
The Athletic have contacted the AFC for comment.
(Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
