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What's the story?
Football fans who are anticipating the derby clash between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan next year might have to wait longer, with Kolkata Police having expressed their shortcomings in arranging for protection on match day, which could see the derby being pushed to take place a week after the scheduled date.
In case you didn't know
After a lot of controversies surrounded the home ground status of both teams, the ongoing season of the I-League witnessed the first Kolkata derby last weekend on the 3rd of December 2017 that saw Mohun Bagan getting better of their arch-rivals by just the solitary goal.
Heart of the Matter
With both the Indian Super League and I-League happening simultaneously, the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) scheduling came under scrutiny once again with the latest issue having surfaced with just a month to go for the crucial clash.
The Kolkata police force informed the AIFF officials about their inability to provide the required amount of security for the next derby that is due to take place on the 13th of January 2018 according to the agenda.
While the game scheduled for 13th January is set to kick-off at 5.30 PM IST, that has put the police force in a dilemma. Due to this dilemma by the police, the federation has decided to postpone the match, an AIFF official confirmed to Sportskeeda. However, it is still unclear when the match will be rescheduled.
"It could be postponed for a week, or it could be a month.We are still working on a new date for the Derby," the official said.
What's Next?
The I-League continues in full flow with Mohun Bagan set to face off against the Churchill Brothers during the weekend while East Bengal FC will face off against Shillong Lajong in today's encounter.
Author's Take
While the AIFF's scheduling comes under the scanner yet again, it is very important to ensure the protection and security of players and fans alike during the matches and the decision to postpone the game will have to be taken in good spirit.
