| IPL’s Mohun Bagan moment Before they stepped out at Eden Gardens, Ravi Shastri explained why Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were wearing a different strip. They are in the colours of Mohun Bagan, the winners of the ISL, he said on air. When it was his turn to commentate, Deep Dasgupta referred to the “proud, proud history of Mohun Bagan.” If there was an occasion before last Saturday when the current football champions of India were mentioned by commentators during an IPL game, I don’t know about it. But LSG’s idea to “honour” Mohun Bagan and, possibly, hope to split Eden loyalties didn’t turn out that way. Eden was vociferous in backing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with chants of “KKR, KKR” circulating in the amphitheatre all evening. The response to ATK Mohun Bagan FC’s tweet wishing the visiting team “in our city” wasn’t one of unanimous endorsement either. That explained why the stands were not swathed in colours of the away team like they were when MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli came calling. Those that did fetch up in groups wearing Mohun Bagan or East Bengal colours were stopped because, as KKR pointed out, they had fallen foul of IPL’s ambush marketing laws. Which, in simple terms, means you cannot use IPL to promote anything not connected to it. Maybe that is why LSG’s twitter handle did not mention Mohun Bagan as the reason for going maroon and green. That was definitely why a group of fans in Mohun Bagan colours was told to wear their tees inside out before being allowed in. And why some in East Bengal shirts were seen covering names of their corporate backers with tape. LSG kept quiet about this and their owner was seen in the team’s dark blue shirt but Mohun Bagan and East Bengal officials showed righteous indignation. We are family While this was the first time an IPL team was wearing the colours of a football club, relations between cricket and ISL franchises go back to when the football tournament started, in 2014. Dhoni and Kohli are co-owners of Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa respectively. Dhoni has met Chennaiyin players and has been to their games. Apart from a very public friendship, Kohli and Sunil Chettri also endorse the same sportswear company. Before this season’s IPL, Chhetri was part of an event organised by Royal Challengers Bangalore.  Sunil Chhetri and Virat Kohli (Source: RCB) Cities having IPL and ISL teams too have connected on social media. Chennai Super Kings have wished Chennaiyin FC a good season in 2021-22 and Sunrisers Hyderabad asked Hyderabad FC to “bring that trophy home” ahead of the final the same season. Days later, Hyderabad FC wished the city’s IPL team a good campaign. Mumbai Indians and Mumbai City FC had “#ApunKaFaMIly integration” in 2019; the footballers wished Rohit Sharma’s men ahead of the 2020 final and Ahmed Jahouh’s batting – of the kind that wouldn’t pass muster even in the Courtney Walsh school of batting –was acknowledged by a Surya Kumar Yadav GIF. Mumbai Indians released a video before the 2020-21 ISL final asking the footballers to bring the trophy home and congratulated them when they did. Ahead of their first game in the Women’s Premier League, Mumbai City FC, part of the City Football Group, tweeted support for Harmanpreet Kaur’s team. Possibly because Bengaluru FC owners have an IPL team, the Chhetri-Kohli camaraderie does not extend to the city’s cricket and football franchises. But to be fair, you would be hard put to find a Bengaluru FC post on Delhi Capitals either. KKR and the city’s football teams always been in separate ecosystems. That LSG’s tribute lasted only a game made it seem very last-minute. Had they worn Mohun Bagan colours in, say, away games, it would have been a proper celebration of the first ISL title for ATK Mohun Bagan who will be Mohun Bagan Super Giants from next month. It would have also taken Mohun Bagan to a newer, significantly bigger Indian and international audience. Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting, who are not part of the ISL grid but were runners-up in the I-League in 2021-22, have a long association with cricket. Legends of the game have visited these clubs and represented them; Sunil Gavaskar was at Mohun Bagan during IPL 2023 and Kapil Dev has played football for East Bengal. So, if done right, their involvement with IPL franchises could be mutually beneficial. Now that a team from Punjab will play ISL next term, will they and Punjab Kings collaborate in the way Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad have? Support for Vinicius Jr  The lights were off at Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janiero to condemn racist acts against Brazilian footballer Vinicius Junior (Source: AFP) From support for teams in the same city to support in the fight against racism. Vinicius Jr’s stand was backed not only by Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr, Raphinha and managers such as Xavi but also Lewis Hamilton, Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Eduardo Paes, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro. As Sid Lowe pointed out in The Guardian, finally, after some nine instances of alleged racial abuse on Vinicius Jr alone, the tipping point has been reached. Valencia have been fined €45,000 ($48,500) and will have part of their stadium closed for the next five games. The section that will be closed is where the club’s ‘ultras’ sit and from where the insults on Vinicus Jr were heard on Sunday. Valencia have protested and said they would appeal. Arrests have been made and a Valencia fan banned for life. And though not directly related, Vinicius Jr’s stoppage-time red card for striking an opponent has been rescinded. That happened because the VAR in charge failed to spot a Valencia player’s arm around Vinicius Jr’s neck. Touched by teammates and fans’ support at Real’s 2-1 home win against Rayo Vallecano, Vinicus Jr tweeted, “Thank you, thank you, thank you”. | 
