The euphoria among Mohammedan Sporting fans about a year ago — when it was set to make its ISL debut and had a ‘home ground’ allotted in the southern fringes of Kolkata — seems like a mirage now. A myriad of problems — ranging from a massive cash crunch to a FIFA transfer ban — has aggravated the situation to such an extent that the 134-year-old club is contemplating closing down operations.

The top brass of the club on Sunday sent an appeal to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, updating her about the current situation and candidly admitting that time is fast running out. It’s now a matter of survival as after skipping the ongoing IFA Shield, the black-and-white brigade is planning to play in the Super Cup, the so called All India Football Federation (AIFF) season-opener from 25 October in Goa, but hasn’t even begun preparations.

Speaking to National Herald, club general-secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed Raju admitted that they had appealed to the chief minister for help in finding a financier, but what’s coming in the way is low investor confidence, perhaps understandable as any new stakeholder has to take care of existing financial liabilities of around Rs 20 crore on different counts.

This includes unpaid bills to Russian coach Andrey Chernyshov who left in January this year, players who have approached FIFA, and other vendors. The unpaid salaries of players and coach have now resulted in a three-window transfer ban, which means the team is not in a position to cobble together a decent line-up for the Tier-I league (ISL) if they are allowed to play. 

‘’We are mentally prepared to play the Super Cup and have booked plane tickets and hotels on our own for Goa. It’s true that we haven’t started the preparations, and unless there is any positive development on the sponsorship front, it’s difficult to say what the future holds,’’ Ahmed says.

Banerjee had, in the past, intervened to help find financiers for Emami East Bengal, and had shown considerable interest in bailing out Mohammedan Sporting with its pan-India fan base. She had approached a city-based corporate house midway this year to help the club, but talks didn’t make much headway. Any involvement with an ISL club, according to insiders, entails an investment in the region of Rs 25-30 crore, so anyone coming in has to have deep pockets and a multi-year vision.

When Sporting earned an entry into the ISL after winning the 2023-24 I-League, the city’s football fraternity was upbeat that the Big Three of Kolkata football finally had representation in the elite league. Bunkerhill Pvt Ltd, the club’s long term sponsor which played a key role in the major makeover of the club's facilities as it tasted back-to-back success in the Calcutta Football League (CFL), and roped in real estate company Shrachi Group as a co-investor. 

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with a new shareholding pattern: Mohammedan Sporting Pvt Ltd (39 per cent), Bunkerhill (30.5 per cent) and Shrachi Sports (30.5 per cent). However, the latter stopped payment midway last season owing to the club’s failure to reach a consensus on share transfers.

Its debut ISL season saw Mohammedan Sporting finish as wooden spooners among 13 teams, and the AIFF does not want it to figure in the Tier I league this season due to ‘lack of governance’ in the club. Its CFL fortunes dipped too, with the club had barely managing to stave off relegation this season.

In the past, the club with a storied history has weathered many a storm, including a relegation to second division as well as threats of closure back in 2014. Can it do so one more time?