Mohun Bagan opponents will miss prominent striker Assad Ali who is in jail for political activism

MAZIYA S&RC, Mohun Bagan's opponent in their AFC Cup campaign opener tomorrow, will be playing without one of their main strikers for a very unusual reason.

Assad Ali, a 6 foot tall accomplished striker in the Maziya squad, has not travelled with the team to Guwahati because he is in jail. He got arrested on Saturday for an act linked to his political affiliations.

Ali, a long time member of a party that is now a prominent opposition group in Maldives, took a picture of a judge in the street on Friday, an act that is against the law in that country. The local media is speculating that his actions were linked to the long prison sentence a popular leader recently received. His followers believe the ruling was corrupt and unjustified.

Assad Ali has been frequently seen in political rallies over the years, and has even taken part in civil disobedience campaigns and has in the past been roughed up by policemen.

His absence tomorrow will leave Maziya slightly weak up front. The club doesn't have a good track record when playing against Indian teams; last season they went up against Bengaluru FC in the AFC Cup group stage and lost both home and away.