 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Mohun Bagan, trapped in an administrative quagmire, is again besieged with demands for payment from present and past players, including India captain Bhaichung Bhutia.
The club has so far failed to clear their dues, forcing FIFA, football's world governing body, to step in and ask it to pay or face disciplinary action.
The club received a letter to this effect from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association last week. Bhutia too has written to his former club asking for his long-pending dues to be settled.
Bhutia, who plays for arch-rival East Bengal now, says Bagan owes him Rs 5,00,000. "I've asked them to clear my dues," he told rediff.com
Besides Bhutia, Nigerian midfielder George Ekeh has demanded Rs 3,50,000 from the club.
Ekeh, who had been suspended by the club, was not paid. He then approached FIFA, which took up his case and asked Bagan to pay up.
FIFA has also told the All-India Football Federation to ensure that the players are paid their dues.
Mohun Bagan has a history of getting into trouble with FIFA over player payments. The club was earlier censured by the governing body after another foreign player, Yakubu, complained about non-payment of his dues.
The club settled accounts with Yakubu. Then, a similar complaint was lodged by another foreign player, Seriki, who said the club was not clearing his payment.
FIFA took exception to Bagan's repeated failure to honour player contracts. FIFA's intervention saw Seriki get his dues.
Club joint secretary Balaram Chaudhury said the club is not in a position to pay Bhutia and Ekeh right away, but will settle the matter soon.