Why are Mohun Bagan handed a Transfer Ban by FIFA? How is Jason Cummings Associated? Explained

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Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG), the reigning Indian Super League champions, have been temporarily barred from registering new players at the national level.

The ban for MBSG has occurred due to an administrative issue related to the transfer of Australian striker Jason Cummings.

Why is Mohun Bagan handed a Transfer Ban?

Mohun Bagan has been handed a transfer ban for not paying the due amount to Jason Cummings' former club. As per FIFA regulations, when a player under the age of 23 is transferred internationally, the new club is obligated to pay a training compensation fee to the player's former club(s) that contributed to his development. This fee is typically around 10% of the transfer amount. In Cummings' case, this amounted to approximately Rs 13 lakh (about $15,600) owed to the Mariners.

The Australian club launched a complaint to FIFA who in turn imposed the ban on the Kolkata giants. In 2023, MBSG signed Jason Cummings from Australia's Central Coast Mariners but as per allegations, the Mariners didn't pay the money.

Although MBSG asserts that the payment was made at the time of the transfer, a discrepancy arose within FIFA's Clearing House system- a platform designed to streamline and monitor international transfer payments.

The system flagged an incomplete or delayed settlement of the training compensation fee. This administrative oversight led to FIFA imposing a temporary ban on MBSG, preventing them from registering new players at the national level.

Club confident to resolve the 'Technical Error'

MBSG officials have emphasized that the issue is purely administrative and not related to any financial misconduct. They have reached out to FIFA to rectify the situation and anticipate that the matter will be resolved within a week. The club also claimed it is mainly a technical error and are confident the issue won't impact their transfer plans.

"It's a temporary ban. However, the Mohun Bagan Super Giant management has already taken steps to resolve the matter, and it's expected that the issue will be sorted out within a few days," a Mohun Bagan official was quoted as saying by PTI.

"It is not connected to any financial irregularities and the problem is administrative in nature. We have reached out to FIFA, and will get this sorted in a week. The issue stems from transfer of a player named Jason Cummings from another club two years ago and his training compensation fee. We have completed the payments at the time of signing," he added.