East Bengal were earlier supposed to host other teams at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), also known as the Salt Lake Stadium,
East Bengal file image. (Twitter/@eastbengalfc)
East Bengal has joined the ranks with arch-rivals Mohun Bagan and decided to play all their home matches of the upcoming I-League season at the Kalyani Stadium.
East Bengal were earlier supposed to host other teams at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), also known as the Salt Lake Stadium, while Mohun Bagan went ahead with declaring Kayani as their home.
But a last-minute dispute between the Red and Gold club officials and the VYBK authorities forced East Bengal to move out of their traditional home venue.
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“The mandatory terms and conditions which were given by VYBK authorities to QEBFC (Quess East Bengal Football Club) to host its home matches at VYBK were conflicting with AIFF rules and regulations,” East Bengal said in a statement.
Also, the plan to host their opening match against Real Kashmir FC on December 3 at the club ground as a part of the club’s centenary year celebration has also been cancelled. The fixture has been rescheduled to Kalyani Stadium and will be played a day after on December 4.
“The proposal to host the first QEBFC home match, as a part of the centenary celebrations, at the East Bengal Ground, was duly considered by the owners of QEBFC and necessary arrangements for organizing the same were proceeded upon by the QEBFC management. However, after subsequent discussions between the head coach and East Bengal officials, it was mutually decided to relocate the matches to any other ground,” the club said their statement.
Reportedly, due to the change in venue, the club have now requested the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to prepone the time of their 7 PM matches to 5 PM in the evening.
The 2019-20 season of I-League will begin on November 30 when Aizawl FC host Mohun Bagan.
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