Mohun Bagan fans protest on Twitter with #RemoveATK, demand Bagan's legacy be preserved

ATK Mohun Bagan fans have created quite a stir on social media regarding the club's jersey and the ATK Mohun Bagan management's use of social media hashtags. ATK Mohun Bagan started on a positive note as far as the identity of Mohun Bagan was concerned, retaining the logo and colours of the Mariners. However, the fans saw that none of the social media handles of the merged club used the traditional hashtags and slogans of Mohun Bagan (#JoyMohunBagan and #TheMariners) and this irked a section of their fans as they took to social media to make themselves heard. 

What happened next was the release of a promotional video to which the Mariners (Mohun Bagan fans) claimed that the advertisement diluted the club's heritage through a misleading message. The video used the metaphor of clothes being washed in a washing machine to describe the merger. The video, however, was criticized as the fans believed the advertisement failed to recognize the history and legacy of Mohun Bagan and made it appear as though both the teams, ATK and Mohun Bagan, came into existence six years ago.

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When fans saw the pictures from training sessions, they found the patch on the training kits had the phrase 'Champions 2019-20' with three stars signifying the three ISL titles won by ATK in 2014, 2016 and in March this year. Mohun Bagan fans stormed social media, questioning how the club put only the three titles there, ignoring the legacy of more than 200 titles, including the NFL and I-League titles. 

Since then, the online campaign has taken an intense turn with fans also taking to the streets and protesting at the Mohun Bagan Ground as well as outside Sourav Ganguly's house, demanding necessary changes in the ATK-Mohun Bagan setup. The fans want recognition of Mohun Bagan's historic statistics and trophies and the removal of the advertisement as well as the three stars on the patches. 

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Club officials try to pacify fans and assure them redressal 

Taking cognizance of this situation, club officials have stepped in to tell the fans that the management has been listening to their concerns and action will be taken after consulting with ISL organisers, FSDL, and broadcast partners, Star Sports.

A decision was finally taken to pull down the original ads and release an edited version for television. The decision to remove the controversial 3-star patch was also taken.

The new season of Indian football begins with ATK Mohun Bagan taking on Kerala Blasters on November 20 in Goa.

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Image credits: Mohun Bagan Twitter