Bagan threaten not to field
team this season

National Football League champions Mohun Bagan have decided not to field a team for the forthcoming season unless the dissident group in the club withdraws all the court cases it had filed.

"We are ready to face any consequence for this decision, but the committee wants to get rid of these hassles once and for all," the club's general secretary, Anjan Mitra, said.

The decision against fielding a team was taken by the club's executive committee, which met in Kolkata on Wednesday, and is being seen as a pressure tactic to force the dissidents to withdraw the cases which have been pending for quite some time.

Stating that the executive committee would not revoke its decision under any circumstances, Mitra admitted that it may hurt the sentiments of club supporters but the committee had no other choice.

"I am sure that all our members and fans will understand the circumstances," he said.

The dissidents in the club had filed three cases against the club's managing committee. While one case challenges the elections that were held in 1992, another was filed to stop the club's efforts to start a McDowell-Mohun Bagan combine for the football team. The third case pertains to club accounts.

Mitra said against the backdrop of the court cases it becomes impossible to concentrate on the game. "If they feel they can run the club better than us, they should go for the members' mandate. We are ready to hold elections but they obtained a stay order from the court on the last one," he added.

Second Division National Football League 2001-2002 - the complete coverage