I am a Mohun Bagan supporter by birth. There were no options, actually. I was born into a family who contributed in making Mohun Bagan, the institution it is… or was!
Mohun Bagan has been going through a dark phase… it has been years that we have not won a tournament of the highest order. Our officials signed the best of the foreign recruits… Odafa Okolie and Tolgay Ozbey. We hoped and believed that 2012-13 will be ours and ours only.
But, then we had a reality check very soon. We lost early in the Federation Cup and had a bad start to IFA League and the I League. As our officials are best at, the easiest solution was to get a new coach. We welcomed Karim Bencharifa with open arms hoping that his Midas touch will take us places. Well, football is a team game and within first 3 matches, it was very evident that the diagnosis was wrong… Karim Bencharifa is not the medicine for the problems plaguing Mohun Bagan.
But that didn’t stop me from being hopeful… I believed… and I truly believed that the current set of players can steady our ship and Yes, they can beat East Bengal on December 9th. It did not stop me from shouting and telling my colleagues, friends, juniors of the East Bengal brethren that “yes, you are looking good… you are playing well and yes, I won’t be surprised if you win the I League… but, stay assured, we are going to beat you on 9th”.
I was very hopeful and I readied myself, here in Mumbai, to watch Mohun Bagan take on East Bengal. I had switched on my TV set around the 25th minute of the game. It was the usual Indian fare on display. Tough fight to control the mid-field, miss-passes galore… but what was evident was no one wanted to give an inch of the control away.
Penn Orji made a great run for East Bengal on the right flank but we defended well. East Bengal was seemingly gaining possession when Biswajit Saha fouled Chidi outside the box. The referee shows a yellow card but not to Biswajit Saha but to Syed Rahim Nabi for showing dissent and arguing.
Was it necessary, Nabi?
Minutes later, East Bengal gets awarded another free-kick and we are penalized with another yellow card. No, Stanley did not commit the foul… but because he (being part of the 2 member wall) moved well within 10 yards before the kick was being taken and the ball had hit him.
Was this necessary, Stanley?
The referee asked the kick to be taken again and East Bengal went ahead through a brilliant header by Khabra. I was shocked but I knew we will make a comeback led by the able Odafa.
But then within minutes, it was clear that it’s not going to be that ways. Another foul and another protest… an angry one. And Odafa Okolie was red carded. With that lay dead the hopes of millions of Mohun Bagan fans.
Was it necessary, Odafa?
We were down by a goal only. How often have we seen teams come back from behind and winning! We knew we were the weaker side based on the current form… but I am sure we had a strategy in place to beat East Bengal. There have been so many instances where the mighty have fallen. I was sure East Bengal’s record of unbeaten run will be defeated by us only.
3 cards were shown by the referee and none for committing a direct foul. All for indiscipline. Does this tell a story? Why didn’t the coach or officials warn our players that things are not going right? Why didn’t they ask the players to keep calm.
Was it a Red Card? Yes, it definitely was. You can’t just act with a referee like that. If you watch the video, it can be seen while Odafa runs across to the referee, the referee moves away but Odafa was hell bent on proving his point. Why Captain? Why? Playing in front of a lac in the stadium and lacs watching you on television, what were you trying to prove? Is that how an Icon / a role model should behave with a referee? Sorry, you disappointed big time. You let us down.
I find it surprising to read journalists and few ex-footballers and even the Mohun Bagan coach say that “though the Red Card decision was right but the referee could have warned him with the Yellow card only”. Why? Why should the referee do that? Just because, he happens to be Mohun Bagan’s goal machine. He can’t abuse the referee in front of a lac of spectators like that. What is the example that he is trying to create? What will the new generation learn… that referees can be abused? No.
Will Lionel Messi be allowed to go scotfree after doing something similar in a World Cup Final? Never.
It’s your action which added ghee to the inflammable ambience… it’s your action which caused bottles and a brick to be thrown to the ground… it’s your action which prompted someone amongst us to target the referee and hit the unlikely Rahim Nabi. What was even more shocking is that you were neither shocked nor surprised on being shown the Red Card. You were sure that is what you deserved.
What followed was total mayhem… the game stopped and began only after Nabi was carried away to hospital and replaced by Snehasish.
Half time… we go off the pitch and we never come back.
I am sure it’s not just me but millions of Mohun Bagan supporters have been mocked by our friends of East Bengal,
“ki Dada, e-bhabe paliye gele?”
Had it been earlier, Mohun Bagan Athletic Club would have surely come back and fought with East Bengal even with 10 men. But then, this is McDowell Mohun Bagan. It’s not the same club, it’s not the same values and it’s not the same character.
I feel sad. I am sad. I am ashamed.
Why did we not play? There wasn’t enough security for the players? There was a complete breakdown of administration? There was a law & order problem? Why?
Whatever may have Uttam Babu written on the letter to AIFF with respect to “feeling threatened” and “absence of security” doesn’t suffice reason to not take field. Why did we start the game then after the Rahim Nabi was sent to hospital? We should have walked out right then. Why did we play for those final 2 minutes of the 1st half? Why? Did the situation change for worse in those 15 minutes of half time?
Sorry, this is not what my Mohun Bagan stands for!
It is a very wrong decision. A very dangerous precedent has been set. We can’t walk away from a game just because the match has been organized by the other team. For a minute, imagine Mohun Bagan leading East Bengal by 2-0… 10 minutes left in 2nd half and East Bengal supporters starts throwing external elements to the ground… East Bengal officials feel that there is a lack of security and walks off with their team.
Is this acceptable? Unfortunate… but that’s where we seem to be heading. And I can see the writing on the wall… this will be reciprocated by East Bengal supporters some day in very near future.
If I am representing Mohun Bagan, I ought to be different. If I am representing Mohun Bagan, it ought to reflect in my pride. If I am representing Mohun Bagan, my actions need to speak louder. If I am representing Mohun Bagan, my vision needs to be towards ensuring a bright future for the game of Football in India.
Unfortunate that our present day officials do not believe in that. The action reeks of attempt to shift the focus from the supporters who have stood by the club always from the non-performance over the last 2 years… in this melee, it is being swept aside that have made a poor team, we have incompetent players who shouldn’t be even donning the Green Maroon shirt. It’s unfortunate, that our players (and professionals are expected to give their best and manage their temperament) could not manage their tempers and lost the fight with East Bengal. The officials may continue saying had we played the game, we could have won but we were not in a position to play the game. The officials may keep reiterating “We will take the AIFF to FIFA if we are suspended”, fact remains Odafa remains at greater danger if the matter actually gets escalated to FIFA.
I have been let down by our Club officials. I have been let down by our Captain.
We made a mistake. December 9, 2012 is our day of mistake. Time to acknowledge and seek forgiveness from our forefathers, who built the pillars of Mohun Bagan Club, time to seek forgiveness from the beautiful game of Football, time to seek forgiveness from the lovers of the game.
Mohun Bagan is an institution and it deserves a lot more from the players, supporters and administrators.
Who am I?
My grand-father happened to be the Captain of Mohun Bagan from 1921-26… and those were the days when referees blatantly misused their power against Mohun Bagan. When he left the game in 1935, it was also in protest of referring, with IFA contemplating action against him but even then he never abused the referee.
