The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has postponed matches in its tournaments due to the security situation in Iran – weeks after Indian club Mohun Bagan Super Giants was “withdrawn” from the AFC competitions after refusing to play in the country.

Kolkata's Mohun Bagan requested the Asian Football Confederation to postpone the October 2 AFC Champions League Two – the country's second-tier competition – against Tractor, which was scheduled to take place in the Iranian city of Tabriz. Five days later, the AFC said that the Indian club would be “viewed as withdrawing from the tournament” due to its refusal to play in Iran.

Tractor's home game against Tajik side Ravshan, scheduled for October 23, was converted into an away game for the Iranian club, while Al Nassr's AFC Champions League Elite away game against Tehran-based club Esteghlal was moved to the neutral venue Dubai – where Iran’s World Cup qualifier against Qatar was played last week.

The AFC had said after “consultations with FIFA and relevant stakeholders” that the “prevailing security situation” in Iran was the reason for the decision to move the World Cup qualifier to Dubai.

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Mohun Bagan were the only Indian representatives among the 56 clubs in the top two AFC club competitions but they will no longer take part in their group along with Qatar's Tractor, Ravshan and Al Wakrah.

In a statement earlier this month, the AFC said Mohun Bagan had been “viewed as withdrawing from the tournament” “after the club failed to report against Tractor in Tabriz”.

The statement added: “Consequently, all matches played by Mohun Bagan SG are canceled and deemed null and void in accordance with Article 5.6 of the Competition Regulations.”

Mohun Bagan has now said this was “unequal treatment” by his club, which he said was unfairly punished.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the Kolkata club said: “The AFC has indeed recognized the volatility of the situation in Iran and has therefore postponed or postponed the venues of several matches.”

They added that this constituted “unequal treatment” as the AFC “did not apply the same standard” to Mohun Bagan.

The athlete have asked the AFC for comment.

(Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)