Kolkata, March 7: Livid with disparity in ticket pricing, Mohun Bagan general secretary Debashis Dutta on Thursday called on his club’s fans to boycott the return leg Indian Super League derby against East Bengal here on Sunday.
There has been a clear disparity in ticket pricing for the upcoming ISL return leg derby with some Mohun Bagan stands costing more than double the price of East Bengal who are the hosts of the match.
The prices range from Rs 100 to Rs 1000 for East Bengal stands, while in case of Mohun Bagan it varies from Rs 250 to Rs 3000.
“It is unprecedented anywhere in the world that away team fans will have to buy match tickets at a price which is almost double than that of the home team fans… This is shameful,” Dutta said in a statement.
Mohun Bagan said it will not buy or sell tickets for the match.
“We unequivocally condemn the unsportsmanlike behaviour of East Bengal and have decided that we will neither buy nor sell any tickets of the derby match of ISL between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal Club.
“This communication may be treated as an official boycott call of the upcoming derby from our side,” he added.
The two arch-rivals, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, have opposite stands at the 68,000-capacity Salt Lake Stadium for seamless organisation of a derby fixture, and the home team retains the prerogative to determine the ticket prices.
East Bengal executive committee member Debabrata Sarkar has termed the situation “sad” and said in future they would ensure it does not happen.
“The ticket pricings are done by Emami (principal owners)… It is a sad situation and hope that it’s not happened in future. I’ve spoken to the sports minister but as of now nothing can be done,” Sarkar said.
There has been no response from East Bengal principal owners Emami Limited.
The match was earlier scheduled at 7.30pm but now has been rescheduled to 8.30pm because of the Trinamool Congress Brigade Rally in the day.
The rivalry dates back over 100 years, with the first match played in 1921.The two teams meet at least 3 times a year, twice in the Indian Super League and once in the Calcutta Football League.
They may also meet in other competitions. The derby is not just a football match, it represents a deep-rooted cultural and social rivalry between two sections of the Bengali population. (PTI)
