I-League 2017: Two supporters allegedly kicked out of Mohun Bagan Ground for celebrating Indian Arrows' goal

What’s the story?

The youngsters from the Indian Arrows side got a standing ovation from the Mohun Bagan fans after the Mariners’ home ground in Maidan hosted its first ever I-League match. The Arrows, which is a developmental side comprising of India’s U17 and U19players managed to hold the Kolkata giants to a 1-1 draw at their own backyard, something that had impressed even the Green and Maroon fans.

However, not all seemed to be so friendly during the heat of the match. According to eye-witnesses, two Indian Arrows supporters were said to have been thrown out of the stadium after Rahul KP scored the equaliser for the Blue Colts in the first half.

In case you didn’t know…

Mohun Bagan have shown a mixed bag of form this season, with Mohun Bagan seemingly underperforming this season, as they have fallen behind the likes of East Bengal and Minerva Punjab.

Heart of the matter

All seemed to be going well for Mohun Bagan, as they took the lead early in the first half via a Dipanda Dicka penalty, sending the home crowd into delirium. However, the Arrows soon struck back as Rahul scored the equaliser. However, a couple of Indian Arrows fans, who were present in the stadium, were said to have been kicked out of the venue, allegedly for celebrating the equaliser.

“The whole Mohun Bagan fan base is not at fault. It’s only a group of five people who were extraordinarily offended by their celebrations after the goal,” said one of the Bagan fans, who was present during the incident.

Incidentally, the Mohun Bagan Ground does not have a separate stand for the away fans, which is why there was no segregation between them and the home supporters.

But some mb fan's didn't liked supporting INDIAN ARROWS. THEY Slaped me and snatched national flag from me for celebrating arrows's goal.?police was there bt he said to us baahr chale jao. I traveled 120 km jst to watch arrows. ???

— Vivek pratap singh (@pratapvivek9211) December 29, 2017

One Indian Arrows fan even alleged on Twitter that an Indian flag that he was carrying was snatched from him by some of the Mohun Bagan fans. When he asked a policeman to help him out, he was allegedly told to leave the stadium.

Interestingly, some of the other fans present at the scene refused to believe that an Indian Arrows supporter was kicked out of the stadium. When asked about the incident, they said that the fans in question were smoking inside the stadium premises, and hence, were asked to leave.

What’s next?

Despite the fact that the two Arrows fans were allegedly kicked out of the ground, the general opinion of the Green and Maroon brigade seemed to have been divided. There has been a debate going on, about Indian football stadiums not having dedicated stands for away fans. With such incidents coming to light, perhaps the clubs should take such things into consideration.

Author’s take

Such an incident does not look good on any club or their sets of supporters, and it should be stopped immediately. At some level, the authorities also need to keep tabs on such instances, and prevent them from happening.