Mohun Bagan`s fate to be decided this week:Report

Kolkata: The Mariners have been in the lurch for refusing to play the second half of the Kolkata Derby on December 9, 2012...

Mohun Bagan will learn by the end of this week whether it is going to be a happy new year for them or not. The Kolkata club were found to be guilty of alleged violation of I-League regulations when they failed to turn up for the second half of the Kolkata Derby against East Bengal on December 9, 2012 citing volatile security conditions at the Salt Lake Stadium. The violence that had occurred there resulted in Bagan player Syed Rahim Nabi being injured and requiring corrective surgery. It was later decided by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that a one-man committee would be formed which consisted of a retired High Court or Supreme Court judge to determine whether the actions of Mohun Bagan during the Derby fall under the category of `Force Majeure` in the I-League charter. If found guilty, Mohun Bagan could be banned from participation in the I-League for two seasons, which would be a major hit on the virtually unknown I-League which comes to life whenever East Bengal play Mohun Bagan. Justice A.K Ganguly, who is the one-man committee appointed by the AIFF, stated that he would evaluate all aspects of the abandoned Derby. "Both parties presented their case. We also looked into the video footage of the match. I have to look into all angles of the case," said Ganguly. Mohun Bagan, who were represented by a team of three lawyers along with general secretary Anjan Mitra and director Debasish Dutta, were asked to present their case first in the hearing that took place at a five-star hotel in Kolkata on December 24, 2012. They reportedly based their argument based on the provision of `Force Majeure` stated in the I-League regulations, by claiming that conditions at the Salt Lake Stadium on matchday were not good enough to continue the match in the second half. "Mohun Bagan’s counsel even said the team was ready to play a replay of the tie which they refused to continue in the second half while trailing by a solitary goal," said a source to The Telegraph. "They even showed video evidences to back their claims," the source added. The Mariners` legal team also said the team did not come out of the dressing room in the second half because the footballers were scared to do so. The club officials, too, were not confident about the safety of the players.