Mohammedan SC principal investors look to exit club

Delhi: In a major development in the world of Indian football, Mohammedan Sporting Club's principal investor Bunkerhill Private Limited has decided to part ways with the team after a 30-month long partnership.

The Gurgaon-based company has already shot a letter to the club management about their decision of leaving the club, The Bridge understands.

The main reason cited behind the separation is the "lack of a footballing environment."

"To be very honest, there are multiple reasons to let go of the club but the main reason is lack of a proper footballing environment at the club," Dipak Kumar Singh, founder and chairman of Bunkerhill Sports, told The Bridge on Wednesday morning.

"We are looking for someone who can buy out our shares but even if it doesn't happen, we would look to take the exit," Singh added further.

After coming on board in October 2020 as principal investor with Mohammedan SC, Bunkerhill has pumped in close to INR. 25 crore and helped the club gain promotion from I-League II to I-League after seven years along with a Calcutta Football League (CFL) title win.

Mohammedan SC were runner-ups in the 2021-22 I-League season and finished eighth in the 2022-23 season of the tournament. However the result is not the reason behind their exit, the investors maintained.

"Results have nothing to do with our decision. It is more on the side of lack of freedom to work. We neither have a revenue model to work with nor are we allowed to function with the youth team freely," Singh said.

The 132-year-old club is yet to communicate its stance on the decision of Bunkerhill but a way forward looks tough at the moment.

"I do not think there is any way forward to this and it looks very difficult at this moment," Singh said.

The club and investor story is not new to Kolkata footballing circles with East Bengal FC having three different investors in the past five years and ATK Mohun Bagan getting acquired by RPSG group in 2020.

Bunkerhill will continue to look for opportunities in Indian football while the future of Mohammedan SC looks uncertain at the moment.