AIFF shifts East Bengal-Mohun Bagan Derby outside Kolkata
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has shifted the high profile Kolkata Derby, played between eternal rivals East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, from the iconic Salt Lake Stadium for the 2015-16 I-League campaign, as prepararations for the upcoming 2017 U-17 World Cup to be hosted by India get underway.
The Kolkata Derby or the Boro match, as it is called by the locals, is undoubtedly the most high profile football match in India. One of the biggest attractions of this 89-year-old rivalry is that it is played at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium which recorded an attendance of 131,000 for a match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, back in 1997.
But there will not be any record shattering attendance this time around in the I-League, when these two footballing giants face each other, as the AIFF has decided to shift the game to a neutral venue.
The state of the pitch at the Salt Lake Stadium has come under a lot of scrutiny during the ISL. Even Atletico de Kolkata manager, Antonio Habas, has criticized it in the past. With India hosting the 2017 U-17 World Cup, the AIFF has a lot of ground to cover in order to ensure that all the required facilities and infrastructure are in place for what will be the biggest FIFA tournament to be hosted by the nation.
The governing body has now decided to renovate the pitch of the Salt Lake Stadium, which will be one of the venues during the U-17 World Cup, and has informed East Bengal and Mohun Bagan that their derby match will be shifted outside Kolkata.
The home matches of both these clubs, during the I-League, will be held at the Barasat Stadium, which is located on the outskirts of Kolkata and has a capacity of only 22,000. But the big derby clash will be played in a different venue. Both Ranchi and Cuttack are in contention to host the game, while both the clubs are believed to be in favour of playing at the Kanchanjanga Stadium at Siliguri, as it will be more accessible to fans.
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