Kolkata Derby: First clash of I-League 2019-20 postponed

This is the second fixture in Indian football to have been postponed due to political unrest in the Northeast region.

With reference to the much-awaited Hero I-League 2019-20 match between Mohun Bagan AC and Quess East Bengal (Kolkata Derby) originally scheduled to be held at Kolkata's Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Sunday, a formal letter from the office of the Dy. Commissioner of Police, Bidhannagar to Mohun Bagan has cited that “organising a full-scale match on 22.12.2019 shall be quite challenging for all the stakeholders.”

The letter further “requested” the home team (Mohun Bagan) “to restrict the total number of saleable tickets.”

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In a subsequent letter, Mr. Debashis Dutta, Director, Mohun Bagan, on behalf of the host team (Mohun Bagan), has requested the Hero I-League organisers to reschedule the said match, mentioning that such a restriction would take away the "opportunity of thousands of football lovers to cheer for their favourite team from the stands."

Dutta was quoted in the letter to the I-League saying, "You are very much aware that thousands of football lovers from Kolkata wait eagerly for the derby match. The derby match holds the charm which every spectator looks forward to and be part of." He therefore went on to explain how it would be unfair on their part to restrict the no. of ticket sales. After all, those are the spectators who yearn for one of the most anticipated fixture of the Indian football season. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] "Under the circumstances, we have no choice or alternative than to request you to postpone the match to a suitable date in January 2020. We hope that you will understand the situation and consider our request in the larger interest of the game," added Dutta in the end. Taking note of both the letters, the match has been postponed and the new dates will be communicated soon. Earlier, the ongoing political unrest in the Northeast region had also resulted in the postponement of Indian Super League fixture between NorthEast United and Bengaluru FC and the Kolkata Derby stands as the second game now being rescheduled.