The Durand Cup derby clash between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Emami East Bengal, scheduled for Sunday evening at the Salt Lake Stadium, was on Saturday called off after the police refused to give the green light because of the present situation in the city.
Calcutta is in the throes of widespread protests in the wake of the murder and rape of a 31-year-old post-graduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
“...Has been informed by the Police that they are unable to provide security cover for the 133rd lndianOil Durand Cup Group ‘A’ fixture between Mohun Bagan Super Giants (sic) and Emami East Bengal FC scheduled at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday,
18 August 2024,” said the letter from the tournament organisers sent to all stakeholders
on Saturday.
The stadium comes under the Bidhannagar police commissionerate.
“The issue has been deliberated upon by the Durand Cup Organising Committee (DCOC) and a considered decision has been taken to abandon (the) match under Article VI I of the DFTS 133rd Edition of Durand Cup Regulations. It has also been decided that ONE POINT each will be awarded to both the teams i.e. Emami East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giants (sic),” the letter added.
After seven points from three games, both Bagan and East Bengal have qualified for the quarter-finals. Bagan topped the group owing to a better goal difference.
Shillong Lajong FC host East Bengal on August 21 and Bagan play Punjab FC in Jamshedpur two days later.
That the derby had run into rough weather became apparent when the organisers — the Army — rescheduled the pre-match news conferences of the two teams from 11.30am to 5.30pm. The mail was sent at 10.13am on Saturday. The cancellation was announced a few hours later.
The organisers said the official ticketing partners of the tournament would refund the money for both online and offline sale of tickets. A full house was expected at the stadium, which has a capacity of 64,000, on Sunday.
The derby cancellation could be a one-off, as the tournament organisers are averse to shifting the knock-out matches from the city. The Salt Lake Stadium is supposed to host one quarter-final, two semi-finals and the final.
Bengaluru FC take on Kerala Blasters at the stadium on August 23.
The fans of both clubs had planned to unveil tifos — visual displays in a stadium during a game — in support of the RG Kar doctor who died.
An East Bengal fan group spent around ₹70,000 to make the tifo with the message “We Want Justice”. Bagan supporters too had made a tifo of 4000 square feet. “It cost us ₹3,5000,” Prasenjit Sarkar, president of the Mariners’ Base Camp—Ultras Mohun Bagan said.
The fan groups of both clubs will protest in front of the VIP Gate of the stadium from 4pm on Sunday.
“Supporters of all three clubs (the third being Mohammedan Sporting) will show solidarity towards the doctor,” Rabishankar Sen of East Bengal the Real Power said.
