Mohammedan Sporting: The decline continues

NEW DELHI: Once one of India's glamour clubs, Kolkata's Mohammedan Sporting have become a piece of history today. Without any stars in the ranks and undermined by poor administration, Sporting have not won a major title in the last 25 years.
It has, in fact, struggled hard to even stay afloat. Seeded directly into the quarterfinal league of this year's Durand Cup, Sporting kicked off their campaign at an empty Ambedkar Stadium -- their numerous fans from the Walled City have stopped coming as they do not expect anything from the club.
Former Indian skipper Baichung Bhutia feels that this enchantment has to do with club's poor record at the national level. After its Fed Cup win in 1984, the 120-year-old club hasn't won anything of note.
New clubs like Lajong, United Sikkim, Prayag United, Pune FC and Mumbai FC have done much better to hog the limelight. It's pertinent to note here that Sporting were the first Indian team to win the Durand Cup in 1940.
"Mohammedan are bound to lose popularity if they don't do well in major events. I-League qualification can help them bring back the fans," said Bhutia, who has played so many times against the black-and-white outfit while turning out for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
For Sporting have qualified twice for the I-League but ended up at the bottom only to be relegated. Former Olympian and a former Sporting coach SS Hakeem said, "They (fans) seemed to have lost interest in the club because the team hasn't performed well in recent years."
Former Fifa referee Inayatullah Khan, who came all the way from Bangalore to Kolkata to play for Sporting in 1976, feels that Sporting should recruit some big names. "They must include one or two star players only then they will be noticed."
But the club administration lacks ambition and zeal to revive the glory days. While Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have somewhat succeeded in overcoming the challenges of modern times, Sporting have not been able to reverse the slump despite the goodwill of a sizeable fan base and a glowing past.
"It still enjoys a huge fan base like Bagan and East Bengal. But then as a team you need to perform well to keep the fans interested," said former India player and current coach Aloke Mukherjee.
On Monday, Sporting play Churchill Brothers in their Durand tie. They need to win to qualify for the semifinals. It's an opportunity to make a statement. Will they take it?