ISL 2024–25: Big break for Mohammedan Sporting to rebuild the enduring brand

The entry of Mohammedan Sporting in the Indian Super League (ISL) for its 2024–25 season gives the century-old club the break they had been looking for to return to the big leagues.

After wallowing in the lower tiers of club football in Kolkata for years, the club with one of the biggest fan bases in the country — not to speak of overseas — now has a stellar chance to reposition itself as the third pillar of the Big Three in football city.

The writing was on the wall when the black-and-white shirts became the I-League champions a few months back, but the ISL formally announced only last Saturday, 24 August, that the Mohammedans will be a part of the elite league, which will now have 13 teams going forward into its 11th edition.

This is a feather in Kolkata's cap as well, as it becomes the only city to have a triumvirate of clubs in the league that matters most.

It's also a throwback to the days when, along with the Kolkata derby of Mohun Bagan (Super Giant) versus East Bengal, their face-offs against Mohammedan Sporting was billed as a ‘mini derby’, generating huge passion and excitement in the fans.

It’s an X-factor that the ISL can do with, too, as it has been running on a low battery over the last few seasons, with no title sponsors last year after Hero Honda’s pullout and Viacom 18, the broadcasting arm of the Reliance Group, stepping in for the live coverage.

There is, however, a last-minute glitch over the representation of the three stakeholders involved in the yet-to-be formed board of the company — Mohammedan Sporting Private Limited — and that is threatening to put a spanner in the works.

Bunkerhill, the sports marketing company (which played a key role in the club's recent makeover), prospective sponsors Shrachi Sports and Sporting are now not on the same page — a critical issue which has put a question mark over whether the club will be able to cough up the Rs 6 crore ISL licence fees by the deadline.

Speaking to National Herald on the evening of 27 August, Ishtiaq Ahmed, the general secretary of the club, sounded optimistic of tiding over any possible crisis though.

“We wanted to take a judicious step, keeping in mind the supporters’ interest for the future,” said Ahmed. “As per the new shareholding pattern proposed, we will still be having 39 per cent of the equity share while the other two parties will have 30.5 per cent each. Hence, we wanted to have a bigger representation; but at the same time, we don’t want to rob the fans of watching their club play in the top flight for the first time.”

While the club secretary is hopeful of meeting the deadline after a crucial meeting tonight, he does seem to be a man under pressure. The supporters should not see the deal as buckling under pressure from the new investors.

While the Mohammedan Sporting brand can certainly do wonders with some good marketing — pitching itself to the diaspora in West Asia, for instance — the reality is it has always struggled for sponsors to meet rising costs.

Founded in 1891, it is one of the oldest and most storied clubs in Indian football. Its history is intertwined with the development of the sport in the country.

It was the first Indian team to win the Calcutta Football League in 1934, before going on to secure seven out of the eight titles between 1934 and 1941.

In 1960, the club achieved international recognition by winning the Aga Khan Gold Cup in Dhaka, marking the first time an Indian team had claimed victory in an international tournament.

Several milestones followed, until the club hit a downward spiral in the new millennium — failing to cope with the rising costs of staying afloat in the big league.