Mumbai FC: Failure to secure an I-League berth could see the club shut shop?

The Essel Group owned club could possibly decide to end their association with Indian football…

The 2016-17 season was nothing short of a nightmare for Mumbai FC as they finished at the bottom of the table. They won only two games out of 18 and scored a mere nine goals in what was a forgettable campaign under coach Santosh Kashyap.

Having been relegated from the I-League, Mumbai FC wrote to the All Football Federation (AIFF) to give them an opportunity to come back into the top division league, positioning their case in a manner in which had done so the previous summer.

However, the AIFF was in no mood too show leniency this time around and mentioned that they could only make the cut into the I-League by either showcasing their interest via a bid or go through the ordeals of second division in the 2017-18 season and win the competition to be a part of the top division the following year.

The bid process meant that they would now have to shell out a fee of Rs.3 crores INR, which was mentioned in the Request for Proposal (RFP) document of the I-League.

It is reliably learnt that the Mumbai FC management on Wednesday informed their staff that should their last push to secure a berth in the I-League fail; they would very well decide to shut shop.

Mumbai FC was founded in 2007 amid much fanfare and since getting promoted to the I-League in the very first season, the club has been a regular feature of the top division.

Attempts made to contact Atul Bagdamia, Deputy Vice President at Mumbai FC, and the club’s media officer remained unsuccessful.