For followers of Indian Football, nothing is bigger than the Kolkata derby between the two giants of Indian football. The two Kolkata clubs have been arch rivals but in recent years it is their whims and fancies which have made more headlines rather than their on-field achievements.
The Calcutta Football League derby which has been scheduled for Wednesday has now run into issues with Mohun Bagan releasing media statements that they will not be able to turn up for the game. Initially, Mohun Bagan had requested the Indian Football Association (IFA) for postponement of the game by 48 hours citing reasons of the pitch not being up to the mark as well as the venue’s inability to meet the safety requirements for spectators.
It has now been understood that IFA has shot down the request and are not willing to entertain the club’s request. Initially, both teams had agreed to play the match at the relocated venue with renovations going on at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (more popularly known as the Salt Lake Football stadium).
However, ticket allocation issues aside, Mohun Bagan’s approach to the issue has been that of high-handedness. IFA secretary Utpal Ganguli though stated that they were trying to convince Mohun Bagan to go ahead with the game as reported in The Telegraph. Further their stance has softened in the lead up to the game with mails sent out on Tuesday night stating that it may not be possible, with the operating word being ‘may not’.
While Mohun Bagan has not made their stance entirely clear, Wednesday afternoon will present a clearer picture. Mohun Bagan had also cited reasons of acclimatization to the pitch conditions for their request to postpone and cited FIFA guidelines 6.3 for Match Officials where under Pitches for Practice it states about letting teams use the pitch the day before the match to the extent of 45 minutes only if the ground and weather permits.
Considering the fact that East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are both visiting teams at the Kalyani ground which is the home ground of United Sports, it is no surprise that IFA shot down the request. On Tuesday afternoon as East Bengal players trained at the stadium, Mohun Bagan officials were busy releasing statements and shooting off emails.
East Bengal have already made it clear that they would not accept any postponement of the game and will instead get the three points if Mohun Bagan fail to turn up. In the event East Bengal does get a walkover, they would be declared Champions of the Calcutta Football League for a record seventh time.
