Integrity Score 230
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Struck by controversy, the Indian football Derby between Kolkata giants ATK Mohun Bagan and SC East Bengal played on November 27 had reportedly evoked poor or little response from the fans. Considered one of Asia’s oldest Derby matches, the rivalry goes back to hundred years and many memorable on-pitch battles. The match generally attracts millions of fans every time. But a boycott call by a section of the Mohun Bagan supporters had a strong effect on the Indian Super League (ISL) tie and thousands of club followers didn’t switch on their TV sets to watch the encounter played in Goa in front of empty stadium because of Covid-19 protocol. Mohun Bagan fans are upset with the club’s decision to hand over the 132-year-old institution’s football team to a corporate house, which, in turn, has renamed the team as ATK Mohun Bagan from the 2020-21 season onward.
On the match day, many fan groups of ATK Mohun Bagan not only campaigned in favour of boycotting the match unless the traditional name of the club (Mohun Bagan Athletic Club) was restored, but also visited the club tent near Kolkata Maidan to register their protests with posters and placards having slogans like “We don’t support fake Mohun Bagan” or “ATK MB is not my club”. The corporate house currently running the club’s football team, however, has not reacted to the fans’ protest. Instead, the club ensured the match was shown on big screen in certain areas, where a good number of people could be spotted watching the tie.
The issue has the potential to snowball into a major controversy with a strong corporate versus public interest angle. Both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal were India’s biggest public football clubs before they decided to bring in corporates as “investors” in order to join the cash-rich ISL, which doesn’t have promotion or relegation. Increasing pressure from the fans against the corporate involvement in both clubs could result in unrest and hamper the progress of the game in India. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are iconic clubs and have the biggest fan following in the country.