The Mohun Bagan football club has announced that they will remove the prefix “ATK” from their name and be known as Mohun Bagan Super Giant from June 1st. The club was previously known as ATK Mohun Bagan after merging with the ATK team in 2020. The decision to remove ATK from the name follows fans’ demands and is in line with the naming philosophy of the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group, who own the club.
The change in name comes after Mohun Bagan Super Giant won their first Indian Super League title this season, beating Bengaluru FC in a penalty shootout. The decision to prefix the club’s name with ATK was controversial among fans, who felt that the club’s legacy and history were being compromised.
ATK was formerly known as Atletico de Kolkata, but their partnership with Atletico Madrid ended after three seasons. The RPSG Group then became the principal owners of the club, which was renamed ATK. When Mohun Bagan was struggling financially, ATK bought a majority stake in the club, leading to the merger and the formation of ATK Mohun Bagan.
After their ISL triumph, Goenka informally announced that the ATK prefix would be removed and the club would be known as MBSG. The decision was formalized after a board meeting on Thursday. The RPSG Group also owns IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants, whose earlier team was known as Pune Supergiants.