Mohun Bagan Football Club's Top Brass Submits Resignation
Mohun Bagan, more than a century-old institution has been one of the Big Three clubs of Indian football's Mecca, Kolkata.
The top brass of National club Mohun Bagan has resigned citing "continuous failure" as the reason. Mohun Bagan lost their federation cup match 4-1 against Salgaocar in Goa on Sunday. This is their highest margin defeat in the tournament.
Mohun Bagan, more than a century-old institution, has been one of the Big Three clubs of Indian football's Mecca, Kolkata.
The Club's president Swapan Sadhan Bose (better known as Tutu), general secretary Anjan Mitra and treasurer Debashish Dutta have resigned.
"Enough is enough, we tried our best to help the club come out of the rut but could not help. As a last measure, we're stepping down with immediate effect," Mitra was quoted as saying by PTI, after he along with the president and club finance secretary Debasish Dutta tendered their resignation.
Bose's son, Mohun Bagan's assistant secretary Srinjoy is behind bars after he was arrested for his links with the Saradha chit fund scam. Srinjoy is also a Trinamool Congress MP. The Boses are close to West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee.
Club insiders say the resignation is just a gimmick because elections are due in January. The Boses came into power of this historic club in 2005 and barring once, the club never had an election. Mohun Bagan won the national league (not the I-League) thrice but since 2009, the club is yet to win a major tournament.
Although there is no direct link between Srinjoy's arrest and the resignations, the current management has lost its credibility largely due to the poor performance of the football team. Mohun Bagan are sponsored by United Breweries but the club's finances are apparently under pressure.
Sources say the club's top officials have resigned to earn their members' goodwill and stop any opposition. Reportedly, a judge is expected to be appointed to oversee the elections which are now uncertain.