Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 18 : All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey condemned the change in venue of the second quarter-final match of the Durand Cup from Kolkata to Shillong.
Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium was set to host India's iconic derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Emami East Bengal FC in the ongoing Durand Cup on Sunday. However, on Saturday, the match was 'abandoned' due to security concerns in the wake of protests over a trainee doctor's alleged rape and murder case.
Due to the ongoing widespread protests, a decision was made to shift the second quarter-final match of the Durand Cup from Kolkata to Shillong while "taking into consideration the playing conditions."
Chaubey, who was present outside the stadium, believes that football should be kept away from politics. He strongly condemned the change of venue and believes that the match should not be held outside of Kolkata.
"The first derby match of the season between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was scheduled to be held today. The number of police personnel that have been deployed here to stop this match and to arrest the supporters who had come to watch the match, if even half of them were deployed, then this match would have taken place today. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan matches should be held here," Chaubey told ANI.
"I believe that football is not involved in any politics. It is above all religion and caste. I am fully confident that if you organize the match here, there will be no ruckus, no unrest on the football ground. I am fully confident that all the people will support their teams peacefully, but the match should not be shifted from here. The people of football also want that the culprit should be caught as soon as possible and the culprit should be punished," Chaubey concluded.
During the protest, police detained football fans protesting against the alleged rape and murder of a woman resident doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Chaubey stated that there was no reason to abandon the high-voltage match and that the police were "running away from their responsibilities."
"Police want to run away from their responsibilities. There was no reason to abandon the match. Football fans can't understand the reason behind not playing today's match," Chaubey noted.
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