Four months of ban for Anwar Ali: On Tuesday, the Players Status Committee (PSC) of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) suspended Anwar Ali for four months, ending on January 10, 2025, only one day after he began his first competitive match in ninety days. A record-breaking ₹12.9 crore was given to Ali’s old team, Mohun Bagan Super Giants, as compensation in Indian club football.
Additionally, the PSC determined that East Bengal, who agreed to pay roughly ₹15 crore for a five-year contract with the central defender, and Ali’s former team, Delhi FC, would not be allowed to register new players for two transfer windows in a row. The teams are not allowed to sign anyone until September 1, 2025, under the decree.
Delhi FC, Ali, and East Bengal may all present their case before the AIFF Appeals Committee. There’s also a chance that the ruling may be contested in court. Ali is only permitted to play if the Appeals Committee or a judge grants a stay of the order. On September 1, co-owner of Delhi FC Ranjit Bajaj had stated on X that “this would go on for a while.”
East Bengal official Debabrata Sarkar stated, “We are waiting to hear from our lawyers on the order that has been sent to them.”
On Saturday, East Bengal will make their ISL debut on the road against Bengaluru FC. On August 13, they gave Ali a presentation. This came about after Ali, who was on a 2027 loan from Delhi FC to Mohun Bagan, had asked the AIFF to request a transfer because Mohun Bagan was not planning to make the loan arrangement permanent.
Ali “has failed to demonstrate any just cause for termination” of his contract with Mohun Bagan, according to the PSC, which heard arguments from all parties.
That’s why Mohun Bagan received ₹12.9 crore in compensation after the AIFF fined them a record ₹2 crore in 2012–13 for failing to finish an I-League Kolkata derby. To put things in perspective, think of this: The Kerala Blasters were fined ₹4 crore by the AIFF for leaving an ISL semi-final, while Igor Stimac received severance pay of about ₹3.35 crore from the federation.
A preliminary PSC judgment on August 10 enabled Ali to rejoin Delhi FC because, in their words, “the player cannot be stopped from moving clubs.” Finally, he joined for East Bengal.
Four months of ban for Anwar Ali MB to receive ₹12.9 crore :
According to the PSC, East Bengal, Delhi FC, and Ali have 45 days to pay Mohun Bagan. If this doesn’t work out, Ali’s transfer ban might be extended until January 30, 2026, and he wouldn’t be allowed to play football until March 10, 2025.
The sum was determined by taking Ali’s market value and dividing it by the average of what Mohun Bagan would have paid him, what East Bengal will pay him until 2027, what Mohun Bagan paid Delhi FC as per the terms of the loan, and the “damage” Mohun Bagan sustained in trying to find a replacement. According to the PSC’s explanation in the order signed by Savio Messias, deputy chairman, the final portion is equal to the transfer fee that East Bengal paid Delhi FC.
East Bengal and Delhi FC received transfer restrictions as sports punishments since the PSC believed they were “guilty” of pressuring Ali to violate his contract. The six-page ruling states that “Materials on record suggest that both clubs and their officials acted in concert to ensure the Player’s (sic) transfer to East Bengal FC.” A copy is with HT.
FIFA has decreed that no player may be on an international loan for longer than a year, starting in July 2022. Member associations have till 2025 to incorporate this into their internal organizational structures. Ali can contest the legality of his contract with Mohun Bagan through 2027, pointing to the FIFA verdict as justification.
Following a Delhi High Court ruling in 2020, Ali’s career was able to continue after a medical examination at a club he was set to sign with disclosed he had a cardiac ailment. That was when Bajaj came to Ali’s aid. After hearing arguments that players with such a disease are allowed to play in England, the court overturned the AIFF’s medical committee’s decision to exclude him on health grounds. Ali was included in India’s under-17 World Cup team in 2017, and ever since then, his reputation has grown.
