A decade without a league title, Kolkata clubs continue to go backwards

Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting have been in the bottom half of the I-League table for almost the entire campaign

The situation is even worse with the other two big clubs of Kolkata – Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting – as the two have been in the bottom half of the table for most of the season with Mohammedan Sporting still not assured of a place in next season’s I-League.

It has been a roller coaster season for Mohammedan Sporting as at the start of it they signed four proven foreigners in Indian football and won the Durand Cup to end the club’s 26-year wait for silverware. But the lack of balance in the squad eventually showed as they struggled to get results in the I-League.

The IFA Shield triumph came as a false dawn because their inability to compete in the I-League didn’t go away despite the change of coach and even a win in the last game against Mumbai FC on Sunday could see them get relegated.

Once again unprofessional is the keyword while discussing Mohammedan’s problems as throughout the season players haven’t been paid their salaries on time. A classic example is Australian Tolgay Ozbey who underperformed at Mohammedan largely due to several delays in the payment of the wages but he immediately started to perform after joining Dempo in the winter window.

Similar off-the field problems have been prevalent in Mohun Bagan also this season with their excuse being the state’s chit-fund scam. Even the highly successful Karim Bencherifa couldn’t solve their problems on the pitch as the squad that was formed by the club officials lacked quality, experience and balance with all the focus on Odafa Okolie who remained injured for the majority of the campaign.

Since Bencherifa’s first spell, when he nearly took the club to the I-League title, the Mariners have had eight different coaches and are likely to replace the Moroccan again and name a new coach for next season. But the real problem lies in the running of the club and it is the main reason why this great club has endured fourth-straight trophyless seasons now. Worryingly there seems to very little competition for the current administrators of the club and hence the dark days aren’t likely to go away anytime soon. If anything, Mohun Bagan have fallen further behind the I-League elite after this season.

The performance of United Sports Club is actually the only positive for the so-called Mecca of Indian football this season. United SC only avoided relegation after winning the penultimate fixture of the campaign but throughout the season the players showed great determination to keep their focus on the pitch although the club was unable to pay the salaries due to the absence of a sponsor.

The commitment of the United SC players despite the club’s financial problems is the only positive for Kolkata this season

Thanks to the investment of Prayag Group they finished fourth in the I-League last season and won the IFA Shield. They started this season well too but midway through the campaign coach Eelco Schattorie lost patience and left the club saying that he struggled to motivate the players due to the ongoing financial problems. Star striker Ranti Martins also left in the winter window but senior club officials Nabab Bhattacharya and Alokesh Kundu never lost hope and brought in Subroto Bhattacharya as technical director.

The team under Bhattacharya didn’t play any eye-catching football but eventually got the results to survive and have now given Nabab and Kundu further motivation to find sponsors next season instead of contemplating a shutdown.

However United SC too don’t look like ending Kolkata’s wait for the most coveted trophy in Indian football as they must sort out their internal problems first. Hence once again East Bengal remain Kolkata’s best bet to challenge for the title next season but their club officials must quickly learn a thing or two from Bengaluru.

With the potential emergence of more franchise clubs like Bengaluru and the progress of Pune FC and the north-east teams, the wait could extend to another decade if Kolkata clubs don’t get rid of the ‘Stone Age’ administration and make an effort to become professional because history and an enormous fanbase is no longer enough to become the champions of India.