The biggest festival of the Hindus – Durga Puja will pose a big threat to Mohun Bagan’s AFC Cup home match against Basundhara Kings. The two clubs are set to lock horns on the of 24th October but the match will not be held at Kolkata’s iconic Yuva Bharati Stadium (Salt Lake Stadium)
InsideSport can confirm that the match will go ahead on the scheduled date but the venue will be different. AFC and the Kolkata giants are yet to confirm the shifted venue but in all likelihood, Juan Ferrando and his boys will feel the absence of the home crowd support.
Why will the game be shifted?
The reason is quite simple, October 24th is the last day of the Durga Puja, i.e. Dashami or Dussehra. It will be a terrible ordeal for the Kolkata Police to provide adequate security at the stadium on that particular day. With the idols being immersed on the very same day, the festival therefore poses a big threat for the match to be held in Kolkata.
Earlier, there were talks that Odisha FC’s home ground in Bhubneshwar could be a suitable venue for the Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Basundhara Kings clash, but Odisha is yet to give clearance for the match and thus as of now the venue for the match is not decided.
Moreover under the instruction of the West Bengal Sports Ministry, the Salt Lake Stadium will remain closed entirely during the month of October.
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Owing to the festivities in Kolkata, this will be the first Mohun Bagan match that will be shifted to a different venue. A similar problem arises for the Kolkata Derby. The mega match is likely to be rescheduled as the Derby date clashes with the ICC World Cup match between Bangladesh and Netherlands at Eden Gardens. Moreover, security becomes a big issue as the Pakistan Cricket Team too will travel to Kolkata on the same date.
As for the Mariners, the Green and Maroon brigade will face Maziya S&RC for their second AFC Cup clash at the Salt Lake Stadium on 2nd October.
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