Mohun Bagan refuses to send players to national team, days after ISL title heartbreak
Mohun Bagan Super Giant have once again found themselves at the center of a major country-versus-club row after they decided not to release seven of their players for the Indian national team camp ahead of the Unity Cup in London. Just days after suffering a heartbreaking ISL title loss to East Bengal, the club has now taken another tough stand against the AIFF over player welfare and injury protection outside the FIFA international window.
India head coach Khalid Jamil has named seven Mohun Bagan players in his 28-man squad for the Four Nations Unity Cup, where India will face Jamaica on May 27. in second place in the ISL made it clear that the players will be officially released when FIFA’s international window begins on June 1.
Speaking on the situation, a Mohun Bagan official explained the club’s concerns regarding injuries and the lack of compensatory protection outside the FIFA-sanctioned windows.
“Our stand is very clear – the players will be released only from the day the FIFA window starts,” an official told PTI.
“We have released the players from our side but if they are traveling alone before then we will not be held responsible if they get injured.
“The FIFA window starts from June 1. From that date, if a player gets injured, FIFA will provide compensation. But if the player suffers an injury before then, there is no protection.”
The seven Mohun Bagan players named in the squad are Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuia), Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa, Abhishek Singh and goalkeeper Vishal Kaith.
The development now creates a new problem for India’s preparations ahead of the Unity Cup, with the national side set to fly from Bengaluru to London on Sunday.
WHY MOHUN BAGAN ARE STILL RELEVANT TO INDIA’S OBLIGATION?
This is not the first time that Mohun Bagan has taken such a stance against releasing players for national duty outside the FIFA window.
The club has repeatedly cited injury concerns and a lack of financial protection for players during non-obligatory international periods. The latest controversy again stems from the previous outings of defender Subhasish Bose and winger Ashique Kuruniyan.
“Earlier, in the cases of Subhasish Bose and Ashique Kuruniyan, the federation did not compensate us in any way,” said a Mohun Bagan official.
Last year, Mohun Bagan and the AIFF were involved in a major dispute after the club claimed that Bose suffered a serious adductor and groin injury during India’s duty during an AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh.
The AIFF rejected the claim and claimed that Bose had actually sustained the injury during the ISL final for Mohun Bagan himself, blaming the club for not reporting the problem properly and starting rehabilitation in time.
A similar conflict also erupted in 2023 after Ashique Kuruniyan suffered an ACL injury in the Asian Games period, after which Mohun Bagan became increasingly resistant to releasing players for non-compulsory national assignments.
The club also refused to release the player before the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup under similar circumstances.
While Mohun Bagan insisted they are not physically preventing players from joining the Indian camp, the club has made it clear that it will not take responsibility for injuries sustained before the FIFA window officially opens.
“We are not stopping the players. Whether they travel or not is their decision. But if they get injured before June 1, Mohun Bagan will not pay anything,” the official added.
WHAT NOW FOR THE INDIAN FOOTBALL TEAM?
The situation now leaves Khalid Jamil and the Indian team management in a difficult situation just days before the start of the Unity Cup in London.
India will face Jamaica on May 27, while Nigeria will face Zimbabwe on May 26. The winners will meet in the final on May 30.
The uncertainty surrounding the Mohun Bagan players comes at a crucial stage of the preparations, especially considering that several of them form the core of India’s regular starting line-up.
Recently crowned ISL champions East Bengal they also have named players in the squad including Jeakson Singh and Anwar Ali. However, Anwar is currently injured while it is unclear if Jeakson will join the camp.
The latest standoff again exposes growing friction between Indian clubs and the AIFF over player care, insurance structures and scheduling outside FIFA-sanctioned windows.
And for Indian football, it adds another layer of uncertainty at a time when administrative tensions have increasingly started to affect matters on the field.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
23 May 2026 20:13 IST
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