By Monojit Mandal
Mohun Bagan owner Sanjiv Goenka, on Friday said that the club will retain the iconic green and maroon jersey.
In an interview with The Shillong Times, the owner of the football club also said that the the team will go with the existing logo. However, the name of the club will be ATK Mohun Bagan.
Q: Initial thoughts
Sanjiv Goenka: To my mind, it is the recognition of the emotion, the passion, the legacy of Mohun Bagan. We have gone with the Maroon and Green jersey. We have gone with the existing logo and the name of the club will be ATK Mohun Bagan. When I grew up, Green and Maroon were very much part of my being. A few months ago, I happened to go to the Salt Lake Stadium to watch the East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan Kolkata Derby.
And on that day, it was very clear in my mind that the passion that the fans share for green and maroon is the same that I have. And that was the day, at least in my mind that the decision was made. I came and shared it with my team.
Q: Was there any doubt in your mind?
Sanjiv Goenka: To my mind, there was never any debate. But, I think there was a question of the whole ATK team who are equally passionate about red and white, equally passionate about the ATK logo and all the stakeholders there. So, it was a process that we had to undergo and we wanted to build a consensus around this.
Q: 29 July is Mohun Bagan Day. How important is it for you and what are your plans going forward?
Sanjiv Goenka: Well, 29th July this year will be far more important than it has ever been for sure. I have a diary that I maintain and 29th July has been put into that. It’s an important day and I look forward to it.
Q: Will ATKMB play only in the ISL or tournaments like the CFL as well?
Sanjiv Goenka: What is very clear is that we cannot play in the ISL and the I-League both. So we will play in the ISL.
But, we should be playing in all other leagues as well. And I do not want to over a period of time confine it to local leagues or national leagues only. I think we have to build ourselves, our competencies, our strengths, and capabilities to an extent where we can participate in international competitions. And my target is the AFC Champions League. We have to prepare for that and at some stage, we have to play in it.
Q: Thoughts about using the Mohun Bagan facilities…
Sanjiv Goenka: If I can, I would like to upgrade the facilities at the Mohun Bagan ground. It is part of the city’s history. As we have grown up, each one of us has seen that it is iconic. But, it needs up-gradation, modernization, and needs to be reconstructed in a manner that is different. And, if I can I would definitely like to upgrade the facilities such that to begin with we can have ISL games there.
But over a period of time, maybe have AFC games there as well and really build it into a world-class facility.
Q: About extreme reactions from fans, you win they’ll love you, you lose, they’ll throw stuff at you?
Sanjiv Goenka: That is part of the legacy, part of the passion. It is a part of the sentiment of the Mohun Bagan fan towards the Mohun Bagan club.
And, there is no getting away from that. In a sport, you win some, you lose some. But, as long as we keep winning the relevant ones, and winning enough and the ratio of wins is higher than the losses, I think we are okay. Yes, disappointment will be huge as excitement and happiness will be big when you win. That is the way sport is.
Q: A word for the Mohun Bagan fans spread around the world…
Sanjiv Goenka: To me, green and maroon are my colours. Green and maroon it is. The logo remains the same, ATK Mohun Bagan is the new name of the club. To each fan, all I can say is that you are important, your emotions are important, and above all, your blessings are important. I am sensitive to each one of this and I will try my best to live up to your expectations.
Q: Any different away jersey?
Sanjiv Goenka: The away jersey will be white and red with green and maroon stripes on it. That is not yet unveiled nor is absolutely finalized. We have earlier thought it would be the ATK jersey with the new logo for the away kit. But today, Tumpai (Srinjoy Bose) and Debasish (Dutta) made a very good suggestion that why don’t we introduce green and maroon in the jersey. So we will do that.
Q: Message for both sets of ATK and Mohun Bagan fans…
Sanjiv Goenka: To the ATK fans, thank you so much for your overwhelming support over the last six years. And thanks to your support, we have been able to bring three out of the six cups back home. To the Mohun Bagan and the ATK Mohun Bagan fans, believe in us. We want to win, we want to excel and we will. And we will make you proud of the club, as proud as you have ever been.