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What's the story?
After enduring a long, drawn out spell of confusion and dilemma a few months ago, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal were finally set to take part in the upcoming season of the I-League. The fans, however, are still furious at the fact that the two big teams will not be featuring in the Indian Super League this year. Blaming the officials and representatives for the absence of these big clubs in the ISL, the fans are still distraught.
Although the officials of the clubs remain silent on the reason as to why they did not feature in the list of ISL teams, they have taken it in their stride to make sure that they are in a better position to take part in future seasons. If all goes as planned then good news could be in store for the two teams, specially Mohun Bagan who seem to be in a more desperate situation for sponsors as compared to East Bengal.
In case you didn't know...
East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Bengaluru FC were the three big clubs that were touted to leave the I-League and join the ISL at the end of the last season. However, Bengaluru FC became one of the new teams, while Mohun Bagan and East Bengal decided against competing. According to rumors, they refused to pay the franchise fee that was required to enter the league.
However, the main reason that was cited by East Bengal and Mohun Bagan for not being able to play in the ISL was the lack of corporate backing and sponsorship.
The heart of the matter
If recent developments according to reports are to be believed, then the two big teams could possibly go with some of the biggest sponsors of all time.
The situation of Mohun Bagan, being more desperate is seeing its club management leave no stone un turned in pursuing all possible sponsorship opportunities to build a strong team and compete with the ISL teams.
The Mohun Bagan Athletic Club might find a smoother path laid out for the ISL. There are talks of a possible shift to the Private Limited mode as the club is in collaboration with Reliance Jio to be their title sponsor. Currently, Mohun Bagan is without a big sponsor and this could be a big boost for the team. The talks for this possible development had begun last month and have resurfaced once again. If all JIO clauses have been agreed to by the club, then Mohun Bagan could reach its peak.
What's next?
Mohun Bagan's hierarchy has already started serious discussions and is close to finalizing the deal with JIO.
Author's take
Mohun Bagan has been without proper sponsors for quite some time now and if this big deal does come through, then it would definitely be a major boost for the team and its fans who have so far shown a lot of discontent at the not being a part of the ISL. Mohun Bagan's fans could hence be assured of a fruitful future.
