A TOP OFFICIAL of Mohun Bagan has made a claim that has caused a stir among the fanbase.
Debashish Dutta, the General Secretary of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, has claimed that over the next week, a major announcement will be made related to the club's football division.
Speaking at an event organised by Birati Mariners, a Mohun Bagan fan club, he addressed the supporters saying,
"Next week, I won't say what it is, but a big news is coming your way. No, it's not Martinez... if you were to just guess it, I wouldn't have told you like this... the joy you got by removing ATK, it'll be more joyful than that. It's going be a big news for Mohun Bagan. Hopefully it will be done next week."
His claim of this announcement being "bigger than remove ATK" is what has caused such a buzz among the fanbase. Because of the last 3 years, the Mariners have been hyper-focused on protecting their club's identity by removing the 'ATK' prefix - which was being used by their investors KGSPL to propagate a "merger" narrative - from the brand name of their football team.
In March, KGSPL's majority shareholder Dr Sanjiv Goenka announced that the 'ATK' prefix would be removed and the Mohun Bagan football team would use the brand name 'Mohun Bagan Super Giants' from the next season, bringing an end to a prolonged period of turmoil at the club which saw every major fan group boycott the football team and hold protests inside the stadium and in the streets. Claiming that an upcoming announcement would top the euphoria that was brought in by the 'Remove ATK' announcement sets a high benchmark for whatever the club may be about to reveal.
Speaking further about the World Cup winning Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez who is scheduled to visit Mohun Bagan next week, Dutta said,
"Yes, attempts are being made to bring in Martinez. Pele played against us, Maradona came to our ground... Oliver Kahn played his last match against us. Since 1889, sports is everything to us. Sports is what made Mohun Bagan into what it is today."
Debashish Dutta also praised Birati Mariners for their continued support of the club, which has included artistic displays put up in different parts of the city in support of the club.