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Hundreds of East Bengal fans were injured when Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police lathi-charged them at the club's premises. The reason for the protests was the club authorities refusing to sign the final definitive agreement with their investors Shree Cement Limited.
East Bengal fans clash over definitive agreement with Shree Cement Limited
More than 5000 East Bengal fans lined up around the club premises on Wednesday afternoon to voice their opinion. Fans demanded that club officials sign the final agreement with Shree Cement and hand over the sporting rights to the investors.
While the other ten participating teams have started their player recruitment for the next season, East Bengal FC is the only club without any movement in the transfer market.
Shree Cement has refused to start the recruitment process until the final agreement is signed. Shree Cement and East Bengal Club signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) back in September 2020 before the ISL 2020-21 season.
While the majority of the fans were protesting against the club authorities, there was a sizeable number of fans who were defending the club for not signing the agreement. These fans allege that signing would potentially dislodge the power of the club authorities from the top positions and essentially allow Shree Cement to grab power within the club.
East Bengal fans attacked by police
The protests were largely peaceful before police lathi-charged fans incessantly. It is not yet clear what forced the authorities to resort to violence but there have been allegations made that the protesting fans damaged some police vehicles.
More than 50 protesting fans were arrested by the police while more than 10 were injured. Ambulances arrived at the scene and shifted wounded fans to the nearby SSKM Hospital for immediate care. Several fans sustained many minor injuries as well.
Speaking about the protests, Debabrata Sarkar, a senior East Bengal official, said:
"I am honestly not aware why there has been such agitation. We want to sign the agreement but certain clauses will put the club in danger of a power grab. We are more than glad to have a constructive discussion with the protesting fans to put forward a practical solution. We will do whatever is best for the club.''
Meanwhile, Kushal Das, the general secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), added:
"It is unfortunate the fans were beaten today. East Bengal have to make a decision as soon as the transfer window is currently open and time is running out for them. However, I am afraid that AIFF cannot intervene in the issue as this is essentially an internal matter of the club.''
The Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the governing body of the ISL, has already started preparations for next season and will not wait much longer for East Bengal to make a decision. The 2021-22 ISL season will be held in Goa once more from November 19.
