The famed East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan : Kolkata Derby Post Match analysis.
Few
Facts about the controversial Kolkata Derby and the Venue:
· Salt
Lake Stadium is the ONLY STADIUM IN THE WORLD where you can smoke all types of
smokables and drink all kinds of drinkables while watching a Live Football
action.
· It is
like an ‘Open Air Sports Bar’ where action is Live in front of you instead of
the TV.
· The
Police are well aware of it and it is quite regular to see a cop lighting up
too.
· Like
in around the world where the Stewards are appointed to keep the fans and the
match under control (they have their back towards the match and eyes on the
fans throughout the 90 minutes), Police in the Salt Lake Stadium becomes
Spectators themselves. They forget that their posting at matches is for
anything apart from watching the match!
· Security
is beefed only during a high profile match or visit by stars like Messi and
Maradona.
Security: Nabi
was hit by a missile which came from the MB fans stands (the Fact)
It can be assumed that the MB
fans directed the stone towards the referee (for red carding their ‘star
striker’) because fans wouldn’t want to hurt their own player. Imagine if the
stone had hit the referee and he refused to come out and officiate in the
second half. MB, EB and all clubs would be rallying strongly to the AIFF to
take strict punishment against him. The ref would have been banned for life.
The Police throw back the
missiles towards the fans (Hahaha) and lathi-charges many fans in the stands.
Many innocent fans were hurt. I would like to ask Mr. Anjan Mitra: what about
the safety and security of your own fans? What that they have been hurt by the
missiles thrown back by the Police?
Is it always the Safety of important
persons (VIP, Rich & Influential) which raises questions? What about the
fans (aam aadmi) safety? Only 1 player has been hurt against hundred fans who
received a hit from the irresponsible Police lashing out their batons.
It is clear that the ‘Law
and Order’ excuse given by Mr. Mitra is lame. The Salt Lake Stadium has always
been like this, there have been clashes before too and the Derby match is
famous for its rivalry. You surely don’t expect hugs and kisses when you
proudly flaunt the famous rivalry between EB and MB! The derbies around the world: be it Barca vs
Real, Liverpool vs Everton, ManU vs ManC, AC Milan vs Inter and Boca Juniors vs
River Plate is known to be highly volatile and temperamental matches.
Failed
to respect the Fans: MB should understand the fact that it’s the
fans which make them MB. You remove the fan base and they are like any other
regular mid timers. They are not the most glamorous club and they do not have
host of stars (like Real Madrid or ManU), they neither play very attractive
football (like Barca) and the last major silverware they won was many years
back and to top it off they finish mid table in the I-League. But still the
fans are there cause for them it’s more than just being fans of MB club. The
fan following divide between EB and MB is like a cult in Bengal.
Without the fans, EB and MB
would be just like any other average club. It’s the huge fanbase that makes the
difference.
MB clearly failed to repect
the 1 lakh fans who gave up their Sunday siesta to watch football. What about
the tickets price? Are you planning to refund the amount, Mr. Mitra?
The Police woke up after the
incident and the game could have been played but MB refused to come out.
The
Actual reason: MB was 1-0 down to their biggest rivals and
their ‘star striker’ had been red carded. Nabi was injured. Barreto was also
not there. In short, they did not have any game turners left in their ranks. Shrewd
persons like Mr.Mitra and Karim Bencherifa clearly foreseen that defeat was the
only option if they take the field. To avoid losing to their derby rivals by a
huge margin and loose the match and 3 points (which would anger the already
angry fans); the safest bet was refuse to take the field. In a general
consensus even among the MB fans, this decision was cowardly and unsporting.
The MB Management knows who
strong their lobby is and they also have Ministers to take their sides and hence
the already ‘ineffective AIFF’ would not be able to take any strong action
against them and they would ultimately walk away scot free. The President is
too mild, Das & Dhar Co. (Secretary and I-League CEO) are mere puppets with
no independent capabilities!
Right from first getting on
board the highest paid footballer in India and robbing rival club’s players, appointing
a coach without proper evaluation then removing him after a couple of matches,
then desperately hiring an ex-coach, MB has done all possible unsporting things
to grab the headlines but forcing an abandonment of a derby match is just not
acceptable from a football fan’s perspective”.
Clubs
should control the fans or appeal for discipline. What
happened at the Derby was a clear backlash from the fans of the club. It is not
justified that you have a huge fan base and are unable to connect with them. All
clubs should appeal to the fans to be disciplined and not throw stones
(missiles) and hurt their own players.
Don’t be surprised if in the
future smaller clubs too refuse to play when in a less advantageous position
cause they will always have MB’s as role model and example to look up to.
