I-League 2017: Is the Mohun Bagan Ground ready to host top division matches?

What's the story?

Mohun Bagan are all set to start a new chapter in their history as their home ground will host its first ever I-League match against the Indian Arrows in Kolkata on Friday. However, a a few questions seem to have been raised about the facilities at the Mohun Bagan Ground.

In case you didn't know

The Mariners used the Mohun Bagan ground, which is situated opposite the Eden Gardens, for training purposes as they mainly played at the Salt Lake Stadium for their official I-League games till the 2015 season. But due to the FIFA U-17 World Cup preparations, they couldn't use the ground last year.

While the Salt Lake Stadium has been made available from this season, Mohun Bagan have had to shift between the iconic venue and the Barasat Stadium. However, there have been a few complaints about the artificial turf at Barasat, which is why the Mariners will play two of their matches at the Mohun Bagan Ground.

Heart of the matter

While the dressing rooms, floodlights and the camera towers have been highly renovated, the pre and post-match press conference rooms may not exactly be up to the standards. The room in question seems to be an enclosure surrounded by cloth, with a number chairs, facing a podium.

The press conference area at the Mohun Bagan Ground. (Photo: Twitter)

However, a Mohun Bagan official refuted such claims, saying that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) had ran inspection of the ground, and were happy with the facilities.

"The AIFF had inspected the ground, and are happy with it. I don't know about anyone else, but as far as I am concerned, the club is concerned, and the AIFF is concerned, the facilities at the ground are fine," the official said to Sportskeeda.

What's next?

Mohun Bagan would be looking to get their season back on track, as they host a resurgent Indian Arrows at their home ground on Friday.

Sportskeeda's take

While shifting a couple of matches to the Mohun Bagan ground is a temporary solution, the authorities need to find a more permanent way of fixing this problem. With three clubs playing in the city, there will obviously be stadium issues, and the authorities must make sure that the rest of the grounds have proper facilities.