KOLKATA: The I-League Derby between East Bengal and champions Mohun Bagan, scheduled to be held behind closed door on Sunday, stands suspended in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
This came after state chief minister Mamata Banerjee, during a meeting on Friday, asked the state associations to stop all sporting activities till March 31.
Representatives of the Cricket Association of Bengal, major clubs like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting and sports associations like the AIFF and Indian Football Association took part in the meeting, Telegraph India reported.
The match between East Bengal and Chennai City FC, which was scheduled for March 22, is stands deferred.
Mohammedan Sporting have two home matches in the 2nd Division I-League on March 17 and March 25. Those matches also will have to be deferred after Friday’s development, the daily further reported.
Till late on Friday, the AIFF didn’t officially speak on the matches in Calcutta and Kozhikode.
Earlier in the day, the AIFF cancelled a scheduled meeting with the I-League clubs and through a media statement stated that all matches would be held as per schedule without any spectators.
“Adhering to the advisories issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, AIFF has decided to complete the remaining matches of the 2019-20 edition of the Hero I-League behind closed doors,” the AIFF said in a statement.
“We being the hosts of Sunday’s match have informed the parent body about the state government’s decision,” senior East Bengal official Debabrata Sarkar told Telegraph India.
Meanwhile, Real Kashmir FC’s match against TRAU FC in Srinagar and Neroca FC vs Chennai City in Imphal will be held on Saturday behind closed doors. “It’s on,” Real Kashmir FC owner Sandeep Chattoo told The Telegraph.
“Ideally AIFF should have suspended all matches,” one club official told the daily.
