Self-Goal Club

"Out of 500 days, the three members have visited the club thrice each."
Anjan Mitra, General Secretary

"Not surprising; the club is now being run by the Taliban."
Amal Sen, Club Trustee

"Earlier, there were strict rules for entry into this institution."
Balaram Chowdhury, Asst. General Secretary

It’s hard to reconcile the two events. In early September, fans of Mohun Bagan, Calcutta’s famous football club, celebrated the 115-year-old institution’s golden moment: When 11 barefoot boys in green and maroon became the first Asian team to defeat a foreign side, East Yorkshire Regiment. Historians see the match as a key episode in India’s fight against imperialism.

Ten days later, the club’s image touched an all-time low. Seven members got into a brawl at a south Calcutta club, smashing bottles and furniture. The incident was shocking—to outsiders. "It’s not surprising," says trustee Amal Sen, who wrote a history of the club, Mohun Bagan Forever. "The club is run by the Taliban."

The story of Mohun Bagan, Asia’s oldest sports club, is now a sordid one of poor performance, legal wrangles, mismanagement and vanishing funds. It has also faced censure from FIFA, football’s highest body. The team which won the National League a record three times, the Federation Cup 11 times, the IFA Shield 21 times and was adjudged the best Asian side in 1998 by the Asian Football Confederation, hasn’t won a single big game since 2002.

Most members can put a date to the slide: July 7, 1990. The day Bagan had its last elections and voted in the current 22-man executive committee. No polls have since been held (they should happen every three years), no AGM called or accounts presented to members. The committee itself is faction-ridden. "Earlier, there were strict rules for entry into this hallowed institution," says assistant general secretary Balaram Chowdhury. Calcutta’s bhadralok flocked to Bagan—doctors, barristers, academics and businessmen.

That’s not the case today. "About 95 per cent of people who joined Mohun Bagan after 1990 should probably get thrown out," says club coach and former India captain Subrata Bhattacharya.

In May 2003, the Calcutta High Court put three officers—retired justices Shyamal Sen and Gyanendra Narayan Ray, and standing counsel Indrajit Sen—in charge of the club’s football affairs. Club general secretary Anjan Mitra is unimpressed: "Out of approximately 500 days since their appointment, the three members have visited the club for less than a week each. How will they run the club?"

Such infighting had to hurt the football. For four seasons, Mohun Bagan has struggled to attract talent. A reputation as an irresponsible paymaster hasn’t helped. In 2002, footballer Baichung Bhutia quit Bagan in disgust, alleging that the officials owed him money and forced him to play despite an injury. This year, Bagan’s executive committee finally cleared the Rs 5 lakh they owed Baichung. But in 2003, Bagan was banned twice by FIFA for reneging on the dues of Nigerian striker Isah Musah and Liberian George Ekeh.

Last year, club top scorer Barreto was allegedly hounded out by officials who accused him of defaulting on IT payments. "All this has scared the players," says Bhattacharya. "Now no one wants to sign on with Bagan unless the club pays at least 70 per cent of their dues in advance. That’s why we haven’t had any good players for the last two or three years."

It’s a wonder that McDowell’s, the team’s primary sponsor, hasn’t pulled out. "It’s a really bad situation there," admits an official. Vijay Mallya’s UB group in fact became the main sponsor for both Mohun Bagan and its arch rival East Bengal, but with dramatically different outcomes.East Bengal has moved from strength to strength, while Bagan has wilted. Meanwhile the club’s faithful are still waiting for their favourite side to fight its way back to the top.