I-League giants Mohun Bagan face 2-year ban

New Delhi: I-League giants Mohun Bagan face a two-year ban for refusing to play the second half of their Kolkata derby against East Bengal after fan violence injured their player Rahim Nabi.

The violence, followed by Mohun Bagan's decision to withdraw, led to cancellation of the match midway. Meanwhile, the club justified the pullout - citing safety concerns after fans pelted stones at players, injuring Nabi.

Nabi, who also plays for India, underwent a surgery to set right two fractured bones. He will be out of action for at least six weeks.

Mohun Bagan refused to play the 2nd half of their match against East Bengal citing safety concerns due to fan violence.

Reacting to the possible ban, AIFF President Prafful Patel refused to jump to any conclusion without thorough investigation, terming the incident as unfortunate. "We cannot take a unilateral decision unless we see all aspects. Whatever has happened is unfortunate, especially for Kolkata," he said.

Patel also said that the fan behaviour will make the federation think twice before awarding Kolkata international matches in the future. "This will have an impact on hosting international matches in Kolkata, [but] we will not take hasty decisions."

The final decision will be taken by the AIFF's disciplinary committee that is likely to meet Patel later on Tuesday.

(With inputs from PTI)

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