ATK Mohun Bagan FC was officially launched on Friday with the new logo and colours of the club which is a merger between century old Mohun Bagan and Indian Super League franchise ATK.
ATK Mohun Bagan decided to use the Mohun Bagan logo and the iconic green and maroon jersey going forward and principal owner Sanjiv Goenka said she shares the passion of the fans for The Mariners and there was never a doubt in his mind about the colours for his club.
"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.
"To my mind, there was never any debate (regarding the logo and colours). 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," Goenka said to ISL Media.
ATK used to participate only in the ISL while their reserve teams played the second division. Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, played the I-League, Calcutta Football League and other national and international tournaments.
Goenka said he doesn't want ATK Mohun Bagan to be limited and apart from the I-League, he was open to participating in all tournament, his aim being the AFC Champions League.
Goenka also expressed desire to upgrade the existing facilities of Mohun Bagan and enable it to host big tournaments.
"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," he said.
Goenka said the club committee is yet to decide on the away jersey and while they had initially thought of going with the ATK jersey, Srinjoy Bose and Debasish Dutta made a suggestion in the meeting that they are looking to execute - the white and red ATK jersey with green and maroon stripes on it.
Goenka also said he maintains a diary where he has July 29 marked and he was looking forward to the Mohun Bagan Day.
Goenka reached out to the Mohun Bagan fans and said their emotions were important to him and he would try to live up to their expectations.
"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."
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