European players and coaches stranded in Kolkata depart for Europe
IANS
All the Spanish players and coaches of I-League clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have taken a bus ride to Delhi, from where they would be connected to a flight to Amsterdam. It is from the Dutch capital that they will each disperse and before eventually reaching their desired destinations.
As many as nine footballers, coaches and staff, some with their families left Kolkata after they were stranded in the city following the lockdown which started in March. With no public transport open for service, the Europeans, mainly Spaniards, will travel to Delhi by road on a bus, following which they would be connected with a special Dutch Airways flight which would take them to Amsterdam. From the Netherlands, each of them would then leave to their respective locations.
"My family is very happy to know that soon I will be in Spain. Fortunately, all are good and we are all set to leave finally on Sunday morning. No doubt this will be an arduous journey but there was no other way out for us. Otherwise, we will have to stay back here," said East Bengal’s Spanish coach as reported by The Telegraph (Kolkata).
Among the Mohun Bagan unit were four Spaniards - Fran Morante, Fran Gonzalez, Joseba Beitia along with head coach Kibu Vicuna, Polish Tomasz Tchorz boarded the bus. Meanwhile, East Bengal head coach and their midfielder Jaime Santos Colado also left the city.
The foreign contingent was forced to stay back even after the I-League was called-off as International flights were suspended owing to the Covid-19 outbreak. But, The Embassy of Netherlands arranged a special flight so that the foreigners can get back to their residences as soon as possible.
