CAS pauses Anwar Ali transfer dispute for five months, directs AIFF to conclude matter
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has suspended its proceedings in the dispute over Anwar Ali’s move from Mohun Bagan Super Giant to East Bengal for a period of five months and directed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to resolve the case through its internal judicial bodies, an order issued by a three-member CAS panel on Tuesday said.
Anwar Ali left Mohun Bagan and signed a five-year contract with East Bengal in August 2024 after terminating his agreement with Mohun Bagan; Mohun Bagan challenged the termination and subsequent move. The original arrangement was a tripartite loan involving Mohun Bagan, Delhi FC and Anwar that ran from June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2027. On September 10, 2024 the AIFF Player Status Committee imposed a four-month suspension on Anwar, two-window transfer bans on East Bengal and Delhi FC, and ordered Anwar, East Bengal and Delhi FC to pay Mohun Bagan ₹12.9 crore; the Delhi High Court later stayed implementation of that ruling and instructed the AIFF Appeals Committee to rehear the matter.
The CAS order, issued by the three-member panel, expressly suspended the international proceedings to permit AIFF bodies to act and set a five-month window for that process to be completed. “The panel concludes that the proceedings before CAS will be suspended for a period of five months following the issuance of this order to allow the AIFF player’ status committee (PSC) and/or AIFF appeals committee (AC) decision(s) to be made expeditiously, with related grounds provided to the parties,” the panel said.
CAS’s suspension preserves Mohun Bagan’s option to resume international arbitration if the AIFF does not deliver a final decision within the five-month period or if the club remains dissatisfied with the domestic outcome. A report in TOI quoted a senior Mohun Bagan official saying CAS had recognised its jurisdiction to hear the appeal on a prima facie basis and had acknowledged concerns about the length of the domestic proceedings.
The same Mohun Bagan official was quoted as saying: “The panel has expressly protected the club’s right to return to the same panel if the AIFF fails to deliver a final decision within the stipulated period. In such circumstances, CAS will resume the proceedings and adjudicate the entire dispute de novo, including the merits and Bagan’s claims for compensation.”
CAS’s current measure leaves the international case on hold while the AIFF’s Player Status Committee and/or Appeals Committee complete the process directed by the Delhi High Court; should AIFF conclude matters within five months the parties will then consider their next legal steps. The CAS panel indicated that the final order on costs will be issued at the conclusion of the hearing, since the proceedings have only been suspended for the prescribed period.
If the AIFF fails to deliver a final adjudication within the five-month deadline Mohun Bagan may return to CAS for a fresh, de novo hearing of the dispute, otherwise the parties will proceed based on any decision issued by the AIFF committees within that timeframe.
