Soccer giants Mohun Bagan have suspended their Brazilian striker Jose Barreto and demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore from the player for alleged gross acts of indiscipline and deserting the club mid-season.
Announcing this at a press conference at Kolkata on Saturday, the club said a decision in this regard was taken on January 28 by the three High Court appointed Special Officers.
The suspension would come into effect from January 28 - the day the officers sent the letter to the Brazilian informing him of the punitive measures - and be valid for 360 days, as per rules of the Indian Football Association.
Charging Barreto with having "tarnished the image of the club" through his unsubstantiated allegations reported in the media, the letter said that he would not be given any release order during the period.
"Unless you pay the sum of Rs 1 crore, you won't be able to receive any no-objection from the club for your release," it said.
The letter, which was read out by a member of the executive committee in the absence of the Special Officers, also accused Barreto that he had "breached" the contract signed between him and the club through his "motivated and arbitrary actions."
Barreto had quit the club and left for Brazil on January 20 severing a five-year relationship with the city's glamour soccer outfit.
The striker, who played a key role in enabling Bagan capture three National Football League titles, had alleged that the club had not paid his salary for the last two months and some Bagan officials had misbehaved with him.
Earlier, he had stopped going to the club since January 9 and stayed away from practice session as well as Bagan's NFL matches, forcing the club to slap a show cause notice on him.
In the January 28 missive, the special officers also pulled up Barreto for making false claims about the money the club owed to him. "While the club owed you Rs 2,16,800, you claimed Rs 7.5 lakhs."
"You deserted the club and left India without any intimation. As you are a key player, the club's performance is bound to suffer and Bagan stands to lose a substantial prize money," it said.
"You have failed to give satisfactory explanation for your actions. For you, the club has suffered organisationally, financially and functionally," the letter alleged.