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All India Football Federation chief Kalyan Chaubey has written to Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to reinstate the Durand Cup matches in Kolkata. The letter was written after Sunday's Durand Cup derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal at Salt Lake Stadium was cancelled fearing "security concerns" in the wake of the widespread protests against the alleged rape and murder of a female doctor.
Chaubey in his letter wrote," The Derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan is regarded as one of the top five most famous derbies in the world. The Durand Cup, established in 1888, is the fourth oldest football tournament globally. Both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal established in the years 1889 and 1920, respectively have rich histories and are synonymous with Kolkata's identity and its passionate football culture".
"I have received numerous appeals from not just the supporters of participating teams but also football fans across the world requesting the reinstatement of the Durand Cup matches in Kolkata".
He further added, "In my capacity as the President of the AIFF, I earnestly urge your office to take all necessary steps and measures to ensure that the Durand Cup matches can be held in Kolkata as scheduled."
Oldest football clubs in Kolkata appeal for Durand Cup matches
Three iconic and historic clubs of Kolkata, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Mohammedan Sporting Club on Tuesday not only demanded justice for the rape victim but also jointly asked for the remainder of the Durand Cup matches be played in the city. They stressed that the protests made by the club supporters and officials should not be politicised.
Debashish Dutta, Secretary of Mohun Bagan Club, stated, "We do not want to politicise the matter. We, from the three clubs, want justice for the victim."
Ishtiaq Ahmed, Secretary of Mohammedan Sporting Club, said, "We are deeply saddened by the incident. We want justice for this. We demand justice for victim and we want the accused to be hanged. Although cancelling a derby match hurts the sentiments of sports lovers, the police confirmed that they had information about potential chaos during the match, so they stopped it."
