Mohun Bagan have claimed that the deteriorating pitch condition at the Salt Lake Stadium is a major cause of injuries among players.

Mohun Bagan President Swapan Sadhan Bose on Saturday backed under-fire General Secretary Anjan Mitra and Finance Secretary Debashish Dutta even as a group of club supporters demanded the ouster of the duo in the wake of the AIFF suspension till 2014-15.

Mohun Bagan on Saturday termed AIFF's suspension as "opposed to football policy" and "hurtful", but said the club was yet to decide in which forum it would contest the ruling.

Anjan Mitra said they had to take the step as the players were scared to turn up after the break as it could have been worse. "The prime requirement in a match is the safety of the players. Moreover, the violence could have led to a mass hysteria and uglier incidents could have taken place. Who would have taken responsibility then?" Mitra asked.

Santosh Kashyap is the new coach of Mohun Bagan for the coming soccer season, the club announced at a media meet on Friday.

Mohun Bagan coach Steve Darby on Saturday, resigned in protest against setting up of a technical committee by the club management to look after football affairs.