TIL Desk Sports/ They have upheld the flag of club football in India high over the years, but the recent performances of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan haven’t been anything to write home about in recent times. Spells of trophy-less years, unhappy fans and sponsor problems have put the legacy clubs in a spot of bother. Even as critics have questioned if it is time to look at the new clubs coming in, India skipper Sunil Chhetri believes that their contribution to the game cannot be forgotten overnight.
Chhetri said that though he is not in a position to comment on the current state of affairs in clubs like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, these are clubs with a rich history. “Happens, it happen sometimes. The clubs won’t win trophies, it happens. You see East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are monumental clubs of our country. They were, are and will remain the biggest clubs of our country. The kind of fan base they have, they will always be big,” he said.
“If you see their history, then you might think that it is (the long bad phase), because every year they used to win a trophy. It is just a bad phase and the clubs will return to their winning ways soon. They have massive fan following, they are huge clubs with a huge history. So things will happen, you just have to be patient.” He agrees with the fact that the performance of these two clubs have left a lot to be desired in recent times, but then he has a point when he says that the new clubs that are coming up have started playing better.
