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What's the story?
After the recent revelation of the Super Cup to be announced in April, Mohun Bagan director Debashish Dutta has written a letter to the I-League CEO Sunando Dhar conveying a few suggestions over the organization of the mentioned competition which is AIFF's latest project. Along with that, the Mariners have also mentioned a number of demands and requests for the governing body.
In case you didn't know...
The Super Cup will be a direct replacement of the Federation Cup. Mohun Bagan were the most successful team in that tournament with 14 titles to their name. Meanwhile, as per the new rendition, the Super Cup will reportedly involve sixteen teams from the ISL and the I-League. There will be 12 direct entries into the competition from the two leagues whereas the remaining eight teams will undergo a qualifying event in March.
The heart of the matter
Poor refereeing decisions have been the biggest talking point in both the Indian leagues this season. In their letter to the I-League's top brass, Mohun Bagan have requested the authorities to improve the refereeing quality in the Super Cup.
"In the ongoing I-League the paradigm of refereeing has been of sub-standard and in this regard, we have written several letters to your good office," read the letter.
"You would acknowledge that good quality refereeing is the most important part of a football game, we all take so much of burden to put together a tournament but if the standard is compromised in any department then the tournament loses its charm and it will be termed as a failure," it added.
The Mariners have also demanded to maintain the AFC regulations in the Super Cup with respect to the number of foreigners in the team. This means that six foreigners should be allowed in their final squad which would include two players of Asian origin.
What's next?
Mohun Bagan have also called upon the AIFF to share the plan of action for the merger of the two running leagues in the country. It remains to be seen what will be the reply from the governing body to this letter from one of the giants of Indian football.
Author's take
Mohun Bagan have stated some fair points in their letter with the refereeing standards truly being below par this season.
Meanwhile, the I-League side also complained that they had not received individual prize money for the past two seasons and the financial subsidy for hosting the home games in the current season. This revelation is set to dent the league's image because of such irregularities.
