KOLKATA: Manchester United have agreed to play city soccer giants East Bengal in a pre-season friendly, but the hefty appearance fee the English Premier League giants command is proving a major stumbling block, the I-League side’s executive committee member Debabrata Sarkar told IANS.
“They are ready to play here, but their appearance fee is huge. I cannot tell the amount, but it is something we need to consider. We are not thinking about it now. We will take a call after May,” Sarkar said.
According to the newswire, an appearance fee of Rs 240 million and added expenses, which will add up to a total of Rs 300 million could well prove a deal breaker, more so considering the fact that the Red & Yellow Brigade will be without a sponsor after this season as Bengaluru-based title sponsors, Quess Corp, are set to sever ties with them.
The money part aside, if everything goes according to plan then the match will reportedly be held on July 26 at the iconic Yuvabharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata’s Salt Lake.
East Bengal began their centenary celebrations on July 31 2019 with a march from Kolkata’s Kumartuli area to the club ground at Maidan. A clutch of stars, including 1983 World Cup winning cricket captain Kapil Dev, were felicitated.
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