Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) have decided against travelling to Iran for their Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two match against Iran Pro League club Tractor SC, citing security concerns in the region. (More Football News)
The decision came on the day Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the Israeli campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon. Israel has vowed "consequences" for the attack.
Earlier, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike in Lebanon, post which Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared a five-day public mourning.
MBSG’s AFC Champions League Two match was scheduled to be played at 9:30 PM IST on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) at the Yadegar Imam Stadium in Tabriz, northwestern Iran.
AFC released a statement which mentioned that the confederation had "taken note" of Bagan’s intentions not to travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran for the match. The release added that the matter would be referred to the relevant AFC committees.
The continental body is yet to decide if the match would go ahead at a neutral venue. As per the AFC Champions League Two rulebook, MBSG might have to forfeit the match. The Indian Super League club could also be fined by the AFC to the tune of 50,000 US dollars, and could also be slapped with a possible ban from the competition for multiple years.
Meanwhile, MBSG put forth their rationale for not travelling. “We have written several letters to the Asian Football Confederation and the All India Football Federation. We wrote to AFC yesterday (September 30) as well that our players would have needed proper security and have already written to us saying they don’t want to go to Iran. In this situation when nobody wants to go, we have written to AFC for different solutions like shifting the match to a different place,” an Indian Express report quoted an MBSG official as saying.
“Three days ago, they (AFC) had written to us that the situation was okay and that the security situation was under control, but the situation has changed in the last three days. We are expecting a letter from them. We have made our arguments and given our proofs,” the official added.
The Kolkata-based club further said that many of its players had written to them stating that they were not comfortable travelling to Iran under the current circumstances. Three of Bagan’s foreign players are from Australia, a country that has imposed sanctions against Iran.
Australia’s travel advisory states, “We continue to advise to not travel to Iran. Terrorist attacks could happen anywhere in Iran, including Tehran or other locations frequented by foreigners and tourists. They could occur anytime without warning."
One player and three members of the coaching staff hail from Spain, another country that has advised against traveling to Iran. Other foreign players and coaching staff are from Scotland and Portugal, both of which have also discouraged trips to the country.
