Mehtab Hossain makes U-turn, quits politics day after joining BJP

The former East Bengal and Mohun Bagan midfielder took the decision after receiving a backlash from fans.

Former East Bengal star Mehtab Hossain has made the decision to move away from politics after seemingly starting a political career by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday.

The former midfield general received a lot of backlash from his supporters for the decision and has opted to end his aspirations of a political career. Taking to his Facebook account, Mehtab Hossain wrote: “Those fans who made me the Mehtab I am today, I wanted to join politics to move closer to those people. I wanted to help those in need during the difficult situation right now, as I was highly disturbed by the increasing number of people getting sick each day."

“That’s why I decided to join politics. But a problem arose after that. Those people for whom I took that step, told me that I shouldn’t join politics. They don’t want to see me going into this new career, for them I’m still a footballer, a midfield general. It is due to their support for me, that I became the footballer I was. So if they didn't support my decision, why did I even take it?"

Having explained the reason to move away from politics, Mehtab Hossain wrote that he doesn't want his family to go through more 'pain and suffering.'

"However, nobody has influenced my decision to move away from politics and I’ll continue to stay close to my fans as I did before," he added. “From today onwards I’m not affiliated to any political party.”

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Mehtab Hossain retired from competitive football after the 2018-19 season, when Mohun Bagan finished the I-League campaign in fifth position. He has since been doing a lot of coaching stuff, including managing Southern Samity in the 2019 Calcutta Football League campaign.

The ‘midfield general’ as he was called back in the day, Hossain had a decorated career in which he played for both the Kolkata giants. But, he became famous as the unrelenting warrior for East Bengal, being at the heart of their midfield for nearly an entire decade.

He also enjoyed a few years in the Indian Super League (ISL) and was part of the Kerala Blasters side that progressed into the final in the inaugural edition. Moreover, he also played at Jamshedpur FC for a season before eventually capping off his career at Mohun Bagan.

Football around the country has currently come at a halt and Mehtab Hossain still has time to think about the next move in his life over the upcoming months, especially with no fixed date being confirmed yet for this year's Calcutta Football League.