What’s the story?
According to reports by Scroll.in, fans of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have been angered by Bhaichung Bhutia’s support for the ISL as they believe that it was the I-League where he rose to fame and became a star for the country.
A forum, known as the Bengal Football Lovers Forum, consisting of fans of both the clubs, held their first major protest on the 25th of June which saw hundreds of supporters, young and old, marching through the streets of the Park Street area against the All India Football Federation, it’s marketing partners IMG-Reliance and former East Bengal and Mohun Bagan player Bhaichung Bhutia.
According to the report, one fan said, “Bhaichung Bhutia is a big name, an icon in Indian football…but he has forgotten the clubs that made him the icon, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. He is implicitly supporting the ISL and forgetting the Kolkata football which played such a big role in his rise.
“We have the support of other football greats as well though we cannot mention names. They have encouraged us to protest against this black shadow.”
Indranil Dasgupta, an ex-Air Force employee and an ardent East Bengal fan explained how the movement began.
“In May, we and a few students started posting our protests on this on FB. We were noticing that even MB fans were supporting us in what we were saying. Srijit, one of the other members, made a beautiful post saying “Ami na thakle, tui nei” (If I am not here, nor are you).
“We made a Whatsapp group getting all our supporters in…both MB and EB. On 3rd June, in front of the Gostho Pal statue at Maidan, we had our first meeting. Then it was only 22 people. But we persevered with the movement and created the Bengal Football Lovers Forum…through Whatsapp, we managed to get EB and MB fans together.”
In case you didn’t know...
Bhaichung Bhutia had previously said at a media conference organised by the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club that loaning footballers from the I-League to Indian Super League (ISL) franchises would have to stop.
He had said that the ISL and the I-League taking place one after the other was creating unemployment and that Mohun Bagan and East Bengal were using this situation for loaning players to ISL franchises. Bhutia also criticised Mohun Bagan and East Bengal for complaining about losing players to clubs who are willing to pay more.
The heart of the matter
Sushanta Bar, a spokesperson for the BFLF described the forum as a way for both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal fans to protest against the ‘black shadow’ which the AIFF and IMG-R are bringing upon the fans.He also questioned the idea of having two leagues in a country.
Bar, a member of a local Mohun Bagan fanclub called Jiboner Rong Sobuj Maroon, also spoke against AIFF’s decision to sell out to a commercial entity. The Bengal Football Lovers Forum has already set aside July 8 for a MahaMichil (Large Protest) where more than 4,000 members are expected to gather.
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Author’s take
It is Bhaichung Bhutia’s fall from grace in Kolkata, a city where he was worshipped by supporters of both the clubs, that is really remarkable. The ISL and the I-League have ardent fans on both sides and both have refused to look at each other's point of views.
However, the time is perfect for both sets of supporters to come together so that Indian football can move forward.
