The Mariners were not present at the ground for their CFL opener as opponents George Telegraph came prepared…
Kolkata giants ATK Mohun Bagan did not turn up for their Calcutta Football League (CFL) opener against George Telegraph on Sunday at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal.
Their opponents George Telegraph had come prepared to play the match and had even waited for the Mariners to turn up for 15 minutes as per the regulations but even after the stipulated time, when Bagan did not turn up, the match was called off.
Along with George Telegraph team, the match officials were also present at the ground. The match commissioner along with the referee will now submit a report to the governing body Indian Football Association (IFA) which will be scrutinised by their disciplinary committee and then a final decision will be taken on the fate of this match.
As per rules, if one team turn up and another doesn’t in that case a walkover will be awarded along with three points to the club that was present. In fact, IFA general secretary Joydeep Mukherjee had earlier told Goal, that if the Mariners or East Bengal do not turn for their opening games on August 29 and August 31 respectively then a walkover will be given to their opponents.
“IFA have not received any formal communication from either of the clubs regarding change of fixture. So unless they formally write to us, the fixtures will not be revised and if the teams do not turn on their matchdays then a walkover will be awarded to the opposition teams,” Mukherjee told Goal.
Why didn’t ATK Mohun Bagan turn up for their CFL opener?
ATK Mohun Bagan recently took part in the group stages of the AFC Cup 2021 in Maldives. The Green and Maroons ended the group stage with two wins and a draw which helped qualify for the Inter-zonal play-offs semifinal of the competition which they will play on September 22 against Uzbekistan’s FC Nasaf. The Mariners’ last group stage game was against Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings on August 24.
Now that the group stages are over the team has decided to take a two-week break before they resume training on September 8 to prepare for their upcoming AFC Cup knockout match. In fact, right after the last group game, the foreign players and the foreign coaching staff have gone back to their countries.
In such a situation, it was extremely difficult for the club management to field a full-strength team in the CFL. The team management though did not communicate to the IFA yet regarding their participation in CFL.
When are East Bengal playing their CFL opener?
As per IFA’s schedule, East Bengal are supposed to play their opening match on August 31 against Bhowanipore SC and like their rivals, the Red and Golds too are likely to give a walkover.
East Bengal’s situation is even more complicated. The club’s long-standing agreement related deadlock with their investor Shree Cement was principally resolved on August 25 after the two parties met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Chief Minister mediated and resolved the issue after which both parties announced that East Bengal will play in the ISL this season and they will keep their differences aside for the time being.
At the moment, the Red and Golds do not have a squad, except for a few players who are on their roster. So it is highly unlikely that the club can sign an entire squad in the next two days and play their opening fixture of the CFL.
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