IFL club ATK on Thursday announced the merger with I- League star club Mohun Bagan for the next season of IFL. The officials of both clubs publicized the news at the Mohun Bagan club in Kolkata. The two-time IFL champions, ATK, will form a new club with the century-old club and will take part in the IFL from 2020-21 season. They will also compete in other competitions in the All India Football Federation (AIFF) calendar.
The newly formed entity will see RP-Sanjiv Goenka (RPSG) group owned ATK holding 80% shares while Mohun Bagan will own the rest of the 20% stake.
“Mohun Bagan has a huge legacy. But it is restricted to India. With its millions of fans and the sentiment attached, it is time we start thinking of taking ATK-Mohun Bagan beyond the Indian shores and making the club a player in the Asian scene and beyond”, Sanjeev Goenka, principal owner of ATK said.
The newly formed club will have brand names of both ATK and Mohun Bagan but the official name is yet to be announced.
In an official statement, Mohun Bagan’s chairman Swapan Sadhan Bose said that the merger will take Indian football to greater heights.
"In this context, I am very thankful to India's one of the most well-known industrialists and our Kolkata's very own Dr Sanjiv Goenka for his investment through RPSG. Their vision on Indian football aligns with our philosophy and our combined forces will surely take the club to bigger and greater heights. In this respect, it is a red-letter day in the history of this iconic institution", he said.
"I can assure millions and millions of Bagan supporters spread across the globe, that the poetry will continue. Now that the prose is ready to lend a helping hand", he further added.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) also hailed the merger and wished the new club ‘Happy Marriage’.
"I am certain this is going to be one of the most historic developments in the annals of Indian footballing history. I commend the authorities of both clubs for displaying vision, I congratulate both sets of fans and wish them a happy and prosperous 'marriage'," AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said.
