Mohun Bagan, East Bengal in dark as ISL announces new teams

Kolkata: In a snub to the two city heavyweights Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, the All India Football Federation is yet to send a letter regarding the proposed new competition involving top four I-League and ISL teams. The AIFF after its meeting in New Delhi on June 10 had promised to send the minutes and the proposal for the new competition for further deliberation by the two clubs.

“We have not yet received any letter so far. I will ask him to send a letter at the earliest as we are getting delayed in taking any decision,” IFA secretary Utpal Ganguli said after a meeting with Mohun Bagan and East Bengal officials late in the evening.

The meeting happened on a day when ISL announced two steel majors Jindal and Tata as the new entrants in the next edition as Mohun Bagan and East Bengal’s induction is all but over. But the Bengal governing body which is taking up the two team’s cause at the parent body is still hopeful of a solution.

“Nothing is final yet. Further discussions can change things. Whether they will play the ISL or not I don’t know but they can be part of a combined league,” Ganguli said. The IFA had sounded positive after their discussions with AIFF president Praful Patel on June 10 and said they were working on a new proposal.

“The discussions have been positive and the AIFF is working out on a proposal which would do no harm to the I-League clubs as well as to the ISL. They will send us the minutes and we will deliberate upon this,” Ganguli had said.