Club Vs Country: Mohun Bagan Withdraw Players From India Squad For Unity Cup - Here's Why

Amid the burgeoning crisis in Indian football, Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) have withdrawn all seven of their players from the national camp in Bengaluru ahead of the Unity Cup in London. The players were scheduled to fly out to United Kingdom on Sunday (May 24, 2026) but Mohun Bagan pulled them out, attributing the decision to injury worries and no compensation from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in such a scenario.

The seven MBSG players part of the 28-member India squad are forwards Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh, midfielders Lalengmawia Ralte Apuia, Sahal Abdul Samad and Anirudh Thapa, defender Abhishek Singh and goalkeeper Vishal Kaith.

A club official confided to Outlook: "We have released the players, but only for the FIFA window from June 1. If a player is injured during that window, the entire cost of their rehabilitation is borne by FIFA. However, if they are injured during any other time, our insurance does not pay for their recovery."

The official cited prior instances of forward Ashique Kuruniyan and captain Subhasish Bose getting injured. "Our insurance did not pay for that; we had to cough out INR 2.5 crore ourselves. We asked the federation (AIFF) to take responsibility for the players if they go on national duty, but it refused. Hence we told the players that they can go, but only on their own risk."

He added, "We did not stop the players from joining. But if they go and get injured for six months, the club ends up paying their salary."

History Of Friction

The aforementioned injuries had led to a stand-off between Mohun Bagan and the AIFF regarding the timeline. The Mariners had claimed that Bose suffered a serious adductor and groin injury while on national duty during India's AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh. But the federation refuted the allegation and stated that the defender had actually been injured during the Indian Super League 2024-25 final between Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC.

It accused the club of not reporting the issue properly and not starting rehab while Bose was resting. Kuruniyan's ACL injury ahead of the Asian Games in 2023 had sparked a similar row, after which Mohun Bagan had opposed releasing players for non-mandatory national assignments outside the FIFA window.

Meanwhile, in a silver lining for the country's sports lovers, the impasse regarding FIFA World Cup 2026's broadcast in India could well end soon. Former AIFF general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran took to social media to announce that the negotiations for the telecast rights are “complete”, and an official announcement is expected next week (between May 25 and 31).