Football: Mohun Bagan Champions League season over after refusing to travel to Iran
Why have MBSG been axed from ACL 2 this season?
Indian Super League title winners Mohun Bagan Super Giants have officially been removed from the AFC Champions League 2 competition for a second year in a row after refusing to travel to Iran for their Matchday 2 fixture against Sepahan SC on Tuesday night.
MBSG cited the well-being of their players and uncovered risks as their reasons for opting against travelling to Iran ahead of their match against Sepahan. They also mentioned that advisories from India, Australia and the UK ‘explicitly prohibited travel to Iran.’
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed that the club will not participate in the competition this year via an official statement that read:
“In accordance with Article 5.2 of the AFC Champions League Two 2025-26 Competition Regulations, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirms that India’s Mohun Bagan Super Giant are considered to have withdrawn after the club failed to report for their Group C fixture.”
Following the announcement, the AFC clarified that the Mariners’ first game of the competition, which they lost 1-0 to Ahal FC, will be considered null and void, and that further information on how their remaining matches are decided will be provided soon.
The Indian league champions had also refused to fulfil their fixture against Tractor SC in Iran last season, and there is a possibility that they could now be facing a partial or permanent ban from the competition altogether.
Continental football in full swing across the globe
While the AFC Champions League Two is now set for a slight reshuffle, over in Europe, the second week of the UEFA Champions League has now concluded, and the Europa League is set to take centre stage this evening.
A total of 18 matches make up a jam-packed schedule on Thursday, with the headline fixture coming from De Kuip, where Robin van Persie’s side are set to play host to Unai Emery’s Villans. Check out our Feyenoord vs. Aston Villa prediction ahead of kickoff.
Additionally, the Conference League is also set to get underway this week, bringing us another 18 matches to look forward to, and you can keep up with all the action from across Europe using our dedicated football livescore tool.
