Mohd Sporting ground secretary suspended

The Indian Football Association slapped a three-year suspension on Mohammedan Sporting ground secretary Iqbal Ahmed, barring him from entering the technical area as well as the ground fencing area during IFA matches.

Announcing its decision on the heckling of its secretary, Subrata Dutta, the IFA disciplinary committee also warned the club that if any such incident occurs in future, action would be contemplated against it also.

The nine-member committee, however, gave a clean chit to club coach Subhas Bhowmick, who was also present during the incident, on August 3, in front of the Mohammedan Sporting tent at the Maidan in Kolkata.

Irate Mohammedan Sporting supporters had pushed and shoved Dutta, alleging that he was partial to East Bengal during the recent inter-club transfers.

Reacting to the suspension of Iqbal Ahmed, club secretary and elder brother Sultan Ahmed said, "This is a one-sided decision." The club, he said, would move the All India Football Federation, Asian Football Confederation and FIFA against the verdict.

He also threatened to go to court against the suspension.

Sultan Ahmed dared the IFA to take any action against the club, saying "If they (IFA) have guts, we welcome action against our club."

Dutta, who had gone to the Mohammedan Sporting tent along with All India Football Federation secretary Alberto Colaco, was heckled by a group of club supporters who also shouted slogans against him and held a black flag demonstration.

As Sporting coach Subhas Bhowmick and other officials threw a protective ring around Dutta and took him inside, the disgruntled fans vent their anger on Dutta's car, smashing its windscreen and window panes.

The agitators temporarily dispersed when Bhowmick appealed to them to maintain calm to save the prestige of the club.

When Dutta came out after a meeting with club officials, the agitators again barracked him and some of them pushed and shoved him.

Policemen managed to rescue Dutta and put him in his car, which immediately sped off.

The Sporting supporters were annoyed with Dutta after two of their club recruits Chandan Das and Rahim Nabi went back to their old club, East Bengal.

Sporting's appeal to the IFA did not yield any positive result, leading to claims from its supporters that Dutta had sided with East Bengal.