Kolkata: Mohun Bagan’s signing of Lebanese striker Akram Moghrabi mysteriously coincided with the suddenly out-of-favour Ansumana Kromah’s lashing out at the century old club for ‘discriminating behaviour’ here on Saturday.
Signed from Churchill Brothers earlier this season Kromah was shown the door after a string of poor performances that culminated with his missing a crucial penalty in the 1-2 loss to Minerva Punjab a couple of days ago.
But for Kromah what more frustrating was the ill-treatment of the Bagan officials. “Me and Sony Norde both got injured in the match against Shilong Lajong at Barasat stadium,” he said as quoted by Xtratime. But while “Sony didn’t play in the next match for being the most expensive player of the team as the officials couldn’t force him to play” I played in the next five,” he claimed.
Such mistreatment is unexpected from such a big club but Kromah who believes he played all the matches despite being injured for the sake of of the team was released, a price he paid for being a team-man.
But this is nothing new in the Mariners camp. Months ago another forward Kamo Stephane Bayi who now plies his trade with Gokulam FC was released mid-season after the end of Calcutta Football League (CFL). ‘It was strange then’ Kromah pointed out.
“The same thing happened with Kamo at the end of the Kolkata League. He was in great form the team came closer to the victory for his brilliant performance but, after missing goal in the Derby he was cut off from the I- League squad,” added the Liberian.
Not stopping there he also questioned the strategies of both the former and current coach of the Mariners. “I asked both of them to allow me to play as a striker but, they didn’t care about it. In Kolkata league I played as a striker but, suddenly my positions has changed after Dicka signed for Bagan,” lamented the former Churchill Brothers player who claimed that he was always played as a striker for the ‘Red Machines’.
Opening the pandora-box, he then brought to the fore how he was blamed for all those draws coupled with two defeats at home. “I had to take all the responsibility and I didn’t want to fight with them. So I resigned.”
Bagan meanwhile announced the signing of Lebanese striker Akram Moghrabi for the remainder of the 2017-18 I-League season. But it remains to be seen if there was a ploy to oust Kromah inorder to make place for the once Churchill player.