Durand 'ready' to go without Bagan

Gautam Bhattacharyya / TNN / Dec 27, 2002, 06:45 IST

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NEW DELHI: This scenario is a sad reflection of how the game of soccer is run in the country. It didn't matter even if the red carpets and smart men in Army greens were back at the Ambedkar Stadium.

NEW DELHI: This scenario is a sad reflection of how the game of soccer is run in the country. It didn''t matter even if the red carpets and smart men in Army greens were back at the Ambedkar Stadium. And never mind if the preliminaries have already been kicked off, the organising committee is yet to finalise the pre-quarterfinal fixtures and more importantly, the participating teams.The tournament to suffer such a fate is none other than the hallowed Durand Cup (115th edition).
Even as the battle of egos between 16-time champions Mohun Bagan and their parent body, Indian Football Association (IFA), Kolkata, intensified over the club''s unwillingness to participate in the IFA Shield. The tussle has caught the Durand committee on the wrong foot and they have belatedly started looking for a replacement to save its face.
As per sources, Air India (Mumbai) are tipped to replace Bagan in the pre-quarterfinal league. Coach Bimal Ghosh confirmed that they have received an invitation ''''at the eleventh hour,'''' but "didn''t mind playing" in the coveted championship. "Our players are match fit and we are eager to play in Durand. We are now awaiting a final word from the organisers," Ghosh told

Times News Network on Thursday evening.
"We will not ask the All India Football Federation to intervene between Mohun Bagan and the IFA," Bhupender Singh, the secretary of the organising committee, in I-could-not-care-less manner. "We are least bothered about personal feuds and politics. We will wait till Friday evening and reach a unanimous decision. A lot many teams are willing to step in if Bagan don''t turn up."
Meanwhile in Kolkata, Bagan and IFA officials stuck to their respective stands. "We will announce in our governing body meeting on the 29th that the IFA Shield will kick-off without Mohun Bagan," Ranjit Gupta, the IFA president informed. "We will not succumb to pressure," Debashish Datta, Mohun Bagan spokesperson retorted.
On the ground, City FC, Delhi and MEG and Centre, Bangalore won their opening encounters to move into the second round of the qualifying phase. City scraped past Indian Air-force by a solitary Bijendra Kumar goal while MEG pipped Indian Nationals by an identical margin. Durai Raj netted the matchwinner eleven minutes from close.

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