Mohammedan Sporting return to I-League after seven years

Putting their off-the-field controversy behind, Mohammedan Sporting on Friday clinched an I-League berth after seven years with a 2-Zero win over metropolis rivals Bhawanipore FC within the qualifiers right here.

Vanlalbiaa Chhangte (28th minute) and Gani Ahmmed Nigam (67th) struck on both facet of half-time to win the match. With three wins on the trot, the Black Panthers now have an unassailable lead of 9 factors over their nearest rivals to seal the lone I-League spot with a spherical to spare.

In an inconsequential ultimate spherical match on October 19, Mohammedan Sporting will face FC Bengaluru United, adopted by the match between ARA FC and Bhawanipore FC.

The 131-year-old membership will thus turn out to be the lone Kolkata workforce within the I-League to be performed totally in West Bengal within the absence of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal who’ve joined the top-tier Indian Super League.

The I-League is more likely to begin in December.

Mohammedan Sporting final performed the I-League in 2013-14 however solely to be relegated the identical season.

In the primary match on Friday, Garhwal FC appeared set to log off their I-League Qualifiers marketing campaign with a win however ended up having to share factors with ARA FC.

Defender Neeraj Bhandari gave his workforce an early lead however a late penalty from Surajit Seal noticed each groups stroll off the sphere on the Kalyani Stadium with honours even.

Mohammedan Sporting had courted controversy with the sacking of head coach Yan Law, who was alleged by the membership brass of leaking private dialog. The membership had additionally lodged police complaints towards Law on prices of exposing workforce info to “outsider” Ranjit Bajaj, the previous proprietor of Punjab FC. Under Law, they’d a scrappy 1-Zero win over the Delhi-based Garhwal FC, courtesy of an injury-time purpose from Mumnmun Lugun.

In the following match, the workforce made wholesale adjustments underneath an interim coach and secured a thumping 4-1 win over ARA FC.