After Mohun Bagan sold 80% of their shares to ATK’s parent company RPSG Group making their way to the next season of the Indian Super League (ISL), the pressure has fallen on East Bengal to find an investor and make their case for the cash-rich league.

However, East Bengal senior official Debabrata Sarkar took a dig at the way their arch-rivals merged with ATK and said that the Red and Gold brigade will never be up for “sale”.

“This is not our subject to make a comment. It’s for Mohun Bagan club’s officials and fans to react and see where they are heading for… It’s none of our business,” Sarkar was quoted as saying by PTI.

“We would never sell our club. We will always go by what our fans and members say. They want investors to come but keeping the dignity of the club intact will be our priority. Our members will strive hard to run the club, come what may,” he said.

Currently, Bangalore-based Quess Corp is the principal investor in East Bengal but according to a report by Bengali portal XtraTime, the alliance is set to broken later this year. Thus a cloud of uncertainty is looming large over them as to how they will join the ISL for which a participation fee of Rs 15 crore is required.

According to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and as per the recommendations of the of Asian Football Confederation (AFC), two clubs from the I-League would be offered entry into the ISL by the end of the 2020-21 season.

“We will go forward keeping in view the club’s legacy. We want an investor who can preserve the identity of the club which can run for generations and keep future intact. Hopefully we will be successful,” Sarkar said.

The parent company of ATK, the RPSG Group, have acquired 80% of the Kolkata football giants’ share while the 20% will remain to Mohun Bagan Football Club (India) Private Limited.

The merged entity will likely be called ATK-Mohun Bagan and they will play the next season of the Indian Super League, meaning the ongoing I-League will be Mohun Bagan’s last. The team will take part in all the other important competitions of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and will play the Calcutta Football League as well.