Think Indian football, think Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. With its roots in Bengal, these two legacy clubs have commanded respect and passionate following like no other.
So, when the Indian Super League started in 2014 without these two heavyweights, fans of both the clubs were left devastated. Though Kolkata had an ISL club of its own—ATK—it failed to stir the emotions of the fans the way Mohun Bagan (established in 1889) and East Bengal (founded in 1920) did.
Six years down the line, finally the two clubs will be part of the ISL this season. While East Bengal retained its “identity”, Mohun Bagan merged with ATK in January this year (RPSG Group became the majority shareholders in the new club along with Mohun Bagan Football Club (India) Private Limited) and was rechristened ATK Mohun Bagan FC, much to the disappointment of the fans.
Though the team management tried to placate them by retaining the original maroon-green jersey and the logo, the fans were left far from amused. First, the fans took to social media to urge the team to use hashtags like #JoyMohunBagan and #TheMariners with its posts. ATK Mohun Bagan agreed and have been using them ever since.
Again, when the team put out a promotional video, the fans opined that it did not do justice to the rich legacy and history of the club. The proverbial final nail in the coffin came when pictures of the team from the ongoing practice sessions in Goa were posted on social media. The patch on the training kits had the phrase 'Champions 2019-20' with the three stars signifying the three ISL titles won by the ATKFC in 2014, 2016 and in March this year. Mohun Bagan fans stormed the social media questioning how the club can put only the three titles there, ignoring the legacy club's history of more than 200 titles, including the NFL and I-League titles. They have been demanding the removal of the promo from all platforms, the removal of the three stars from the badge and jersey, and also abstain from calling the newly-formed club 'defending champions'.
The team management has been forced to take note of the protests by fans, both on social media and on the streets. The hashtag #RemoveATK has been trending on Twitter for more than a day now. Mohun Bagan general secretary Srinjoy Bose put out a clarification, saying that the grievances of the fans will be addressed, and the legacy and history of Mohun Bagan will be honoured.
ATK Mohun Bagan begin their ISL 2020-21 campaign on November 20 against Kerala Blasters.