The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is all set to ban Mohun Bagan for two years for walking off the pitch after one of their key players got injured during the violence-ridden I-League derby against East Bengal in Kolkata.
- Photos: 40 injured as Kolkata derby called off
"Sticking to the rules and going by regulations, they will be banned for this year and the next two editions of the league," a top AIFF official said.
"It is regulation enforceable going by article 22, but the AIFF is yet to communicate the decision," he added.
Despite Mohun Bagan's country-wide fan following, the club is unlikely to get away with it easily as the federation is in no mood to set a precedent, which will attract criticism from all quarters, particularly the other clubs.
In the present scenario, it is just a matter of time before the AIFF takes the final call.
The federation officials are said to have consulted their lawyers on Monday to understand the legal implications if they suspend the club from the league.
The final decision will be taken by the AIFF's disciplinary committee that is likely to meet President Praful Patel on Tuesday.
Salgaocar's secretary, Raj Gomez, is reported to have told a daily that if Mohun Bagan gets a reprieve in this case, the Goan club would also walk off the field whenever they are trailing at the break.
Even an East Bengal official is learnt to have said something similar.
The Kolkata giants refused to take the field in the second half citing 'security fears' as the reason after their key player Syed Rahim Nabi got injured after being hit on the face by a stone that was hurled from one of the clubs' stands.
The star India player underwent a surgery to set right two fractured bones. He will be out of action for at least six weeks.
