Mohun Bagan SG will not be fined by AFC over Champions League 2 withdrawal

Mohun Bagan will stand withdrawn from the competition according to clauses 5.5 and 5.6 of the AFC Champions League 2 Competition Regulations.

FILE PHOTO: AFC announced that MBSG will not be fined or penalised for its withdrawal from the AFC Champions League 2.  | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K/The Hindu

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Saturday that Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) will not be fined or penalised for its withdrawal from the AFC Champions League 2.

Last month, keeping the players’ “safety and security” in mind, Mohun Bagan SG decided to forgo the away match in Iran on October 2 against Tractor FC due to the volatile situation prevailing in the West Asian nation at that time.

In a press release by MBSG, the club said that the AFC Competitions Committee decided to recognise the matters raised as an Event of Force Majeure (an unforeseen event).

However, the Indian Super League (ISL) side will stand withdrawn from the competition according to clauses 5.5 and 5.6 of the AFC Champions League 2 Competition Regulations, which states, “In the event that a Participating Club withdraws from the Competition, whether before or after commencement of the Competition (as applicable), the Competition shall continue with the remaining Participating Clubs and Matches without any replacement.”

According to clause 5.6, “Any Participating Club that withdraws from the Competition after it has commenced shall have all its Matches cancelled and considered null and void. No points and goals in those Matches shall be taken into consideration when determining the final rankings in a group.”

Consequently, MBSG will not be penalised as per clause 5.7 of AFC Champions League 2 Competition Regulations, which states, “Where any Participating Club fails to comply with Article 5.1 and withdraws from the Competition at any stage, the case shall be referred to the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee.”