The Kolkata derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is among the fiercest in world football, and arguably the most emotionally-charged one in India.
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With a history stretching back to 1889, Mohun Bagan is one of the oldest professional football clubs in the world, with its beginnings coming from the British colonial rule. East Bengal was formed in 1920, as an offshoot of erstwhile club Jora Bagan.
While the rivalry has tempered slightly in recent years, there is still a healthy amount of ill-will on either side even in the Indian Super League (ISL) era.
Why is Mohun Bagan boycotting the upcoming ISL clash against East Bengal?
This took an ugly turn on Thursday morning, however. Mohun Bagan released the following statement on social media, saying that the club would be boycotting the upcoming derby match, scheduled for March 10.
The disagreement stems from unequal ticket pricing for the derby. East Bengal are the designated hosts for the match set to take place at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, but the prices for tickets have been split by fan section.
The prices on the vendor website, BookMyShow, for the East Bengal section range from Rs 100 to Rs 1000 (VVIP), while the sections allocated for Mohun Bagan fans see prices ranging from Rs 250 to Rs 3000 (VVIP).
East Bengal sponsors Emami explained that this was due to unequal ticket pricing for the derby held on February 3, but this was not the case. The prices were not different for different fan sections, but instead higher for this particular match compared to others.
It remains to be seen how this situation will be resolved, and whether the ISL, or the All India Football Federation, will have to step in on the matter.
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