Football: Why does Mohun Bagan Super Giant face a transfer ban by FIFA?
MBSG blocked from new player registrations
The 2024-25 Indian Super League campaign was a memorable one, especially for Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who claimed a stunning domestic double, winning the ISL Shield for a second consecutive season before beating Bengaluru FC to lift the ISL Cup, which confirmed our football prediction for the tournament.
However, the Indian football champions now face a significant setback for next season, having received a transfer ban from FIFA, owing to a ‘technical error’ surrounding the signing of Australian forward Jason Cummings, who was brought in at the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
The announcement came from FIFA’s Director of Judicial Bodies to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), though the issue does not relate to any financial misconduct or regulatory breach, but is administrative in nature.
Reports over the last week explain that the problem revolves around FIFA’s Clearing House system during the processing of a training compensation fee linked to the Australian striker’s move to MBSG from A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners a couple of years ago.
It is understood that while the transfer fee was paid in full by the Mariners, the Solidarity Contribution (SC) - a mechanism FIFA introduced as part of the international transfer system - was not received by the player’s former club.
The SC dictates that when a player confirms an international transfer, a small percentage of the transfer fee is allocated to the club or academy that participated in training and developing the player in question between the ages of 12 and 23 years of age.
What does this mean for Mohun Bagan?
Due to the ‘technical error’ in processing the Solidarity Contribution, Mohun Bagan have been handed a temporary ban on registering any new players until the issue is resolved - similar to the situation Mumbai City faced at the start of last season. FIFA’s correspondence to MBSG read:
"The (FIFA) communication states to impose a ban on Club Mohun Bagan Super Giant (FIFA ID-14AKC2C) from registering new players at a national level immediately. For your reference, please find enclosed the correspondence from Director of the FIFA Judicial Bodies with regards to Notification of the grounds of the Decision Ref. FDD-23868. This is for your information and necessary action.”
However, despite the setback, Mohun Bagan officials are fairly relaxed about the issue and are confident that the ban will not stick, given that they had taken all the necessary steps and followed all rules during Cummings' transfer from the A-League. An MBSG official wrote in a statement:
"It is not connected to any financial irregularities, and the problem is administrative in nature. We have reached out to FIFA, and will get this sorted in a week."
Notably, the ban imposed by FIFA on the Mariners is limited only to national registrations, meaning that the ISL champions are only restricted from signing new players from within India, while foreign players can still be permitted, though it will require the club to request a separate clearance.
