CHENNAI: Mohammedan Sporting had made a perfect start in the I-League qualifiers being played in and around Kolkata. The 129-year-old club trying to rebuild after years in oblivion won their first two matches. And that’s when all hell broke loose, bringing Indian football to news for unwanted reasons. Coach Yan Law said after Sunday’s match he was resigning.
The club issued a statement saying Law’s contract had been terminated. While no one explained why, it emerged that suspicion of throwing away matches was the heart of the problem. In the official statements, however, no reason was cited from either side. It was learnt that the presence of Minerva Punjab FC owner Ranjit Bajaj in the team hotel prompted Mohammedan Sporting officials to smell something wrong.
Law was Minerva coach last season and there are a few players from the club at Mohammedan Sporting this season. Club officials apparently felt Bajaj was trying to use his influence on Law and the players to ensure that Mohammedan Sporting did not do well.
Why Bajaj or Minerva Punjab — who are not part of the I-League qualifiers — would do that remains unexplained. This means Mohamedan Sporting will play their last two matches in the competition without a coach, since everybody concerned with the qualifiers are staying in a biosecure environment, where outsiders are not allowed to enter.