Bagan officials meet players to explain Derby stance

The club top brass sat down with the team management after today’s practice…

Mohun Bagan officials today held discussions with players and the team management to explain their decision to pull out of the Calcutta Football League’s (CFL) Kolkata Derby on Wednesday. Earlier today Bagan Finance Secretary Debashis Dutta and Assistant Secretary Srinjoy Basu sat down with all the players and support staff after the training session at the club ground and made them understand why they had taken the harsh call of pulling out of the derby. Before the meeting, Bagan players were said to be bemused as to why the club did not play the derby as the Green and Maroon brigade had many youngsters in their ranks for the CFL and for them this would have been their maiden title, an opportunity they did not want to miss. Both Basu and Dutta made the players understand that the Indian Football Association (IFA) had forced their hand by not postponing the match by a day as many of their players were new to the Kalyani Stadium turf and for the sake of the players the Bagan team management had decided on a minimum of two days of training ahead of the derby which the IFA did not provide. Before the meeting the Mariners’ players looked in contemplative mood. Along with the junior Indian players even foreigners like Darryl Duffy, Daniel Bidemi and Haroon Amiri were all new to this derby and could have made their debut in this iconic match. After the meeting Dutta said, “We still feel the two goals we scored against Tollygunje Agragami were legitimate goals. Both goals were scored in on side position.” He further added, “A section in the media along with some ex-footballers is trying to take this opportunity to create a feud between the players and the club management.” The fate of the match is to be announced officially only after the CFL sub-committee sits down with the referee and the match commissioner’s report some time later this week. East Bengal have already been awarded the three points. It remains to be seen whether Bagan will face a points penalty.