AIFF-Mohun Bagan Unity Cup drama escalates as late squad changes force visa rush

The Indian national football team’s preparations for the Unity Cup in London have gone into further chaos after a dramatic late shake-up in the squad and an urgent attempt by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to fast-track visas for replacement players.

Mohun Bagan Super Giants pulled out all seven of their originally selected players, forcing the AIFF to bring in five new names at the last moment. An 18-member squad had already departed for London early Sunday morning without MBSG players. AIFF officials then scrambled to add five players who can join them in time.

The five players drafted in are Mohammed Sanan Kundoyi (Jamshedpur FC), Ricky Meetei Haobam and Fanai Lalremtluanga (Bengaluru FC), Vikram Partap Singh (Mumbai City FC), and Macarton Louis Nickson (NorthEast United FC).

However, their participation in the opening match against Jamaica on May 27 remains uncertain, with visa delays emerging as a major hurdle. If approvals do not come through by Monday, the new recruits could miss India’s tournament opener. Their second game will take place on May 30, either as a final or third-place playoff.

More from Football News

"We are trying to fast track the visa for some new players, others have left," an AIFF official told PTI.

Why did Mohun Bagan pull out their players?

On Saturday, Mohun Bagan pulled out seven players from the India squad for the four-nation tournament, citing earlier instances of the AIFF "refusing" to compensate for injuries suffered during matches played outside the FIFA International window, which falls from June 1 to 9.

The seven Mohun Bagan players named in the India squad are forwards Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh; midfielders Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuia), Sahal Abdul Samad and Anirudh Thapa; defender Abhishek Singh; and goalkeeper Vishal Kaith.

A Mohun Bagan official had made the club's position clear, saying the players would only be officially released once the FIFA international window begins on June 1.

"The FIFA window starts from June 1. From that date, if a player gets injured, FIFA provides compensation. But if a player suffers an injury before that, there is no protection.

"We are not stopping the players. Whether they travel or not is their decision. But if they get injured before June 1, Mohun Bagan will not pay anything," he said.

"Earlier, in the cases of Subhasish Bose and Ashique Kuruniyan, the federation did not compensate us in any manner." The AIFF, however, rejected the claim and maintained that Bose had actually suffered the injury during the ISL final for Mohun Bagan, accusing the club of failing to properly report the issue or begin rehabilitation while the player was resting.

Refuting Mohun Bagan's charge, AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said, "In the 2025-26 season alone, we have spent almost Rs 15 lakhs on the treatment of injuries sustained by players of all senior and age group national teams, and their rehab thereafter." "The welfare of our national team players is of paramount importance to the AIFF, and if any player gets injured when they are with us, the AIFF never shies away from bearing their medical and rehab bills," he said in a statement.

Satyanarayan further said that Mohun Bagan had cooperated throughout the biometric VISA process, only to make a U-turn at the last moment.

"The dates of the event were mentioned in all subsequent letters, along with the dates for biometric tests for players, which were fixed as per the club's convenience," he said.

"The Mohun Bagan SG players attended the biometric test. Obviously, this was done with the club's knowledge as we had written to them." He said two more emails regarding details of the event were shared with respective clubs, including Mohun Bagan SG. All such emails remained unacknowledged by the club, he said.

Finally, on the night of May 20, AIFF received an email from the MBSG stating that their players will be released "during the FIFA window, and that AIFF may coordinate with the players likewise," he said.

While seven MBSG players were called up, six joined the camp in Bengaluru on May 22. One player was injured.

AIFF's Director of National Teams, Subrata Paul stated, "It is deeply unfortunate that players who had already completed their biometric VISA procedures over a month ago were unable to travel at such a late stage.

"We fully understand that clubs operate under their own set of pressures and commitments, and we remain respectful of that.

"However, given that all concerned parties had been informed of this tournament as early as April 10, an earlier communication of any reservations would have allowed us the time to make the necessary arrangements and ensure no player missed out on an important opportunity.

"What saddens us most is the wider impact, not only on the players directly involved, but also on those who might otherwise have been called up in their place," said Paul.

(With agency inputs)