I-League: Security to be beefed up ahead of Kolkata derby

In order to ensure seamless conduct of the marquee football match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, security will be tightened from Sunday morning with extra police forces to be deployed inside the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

A meeting was held at the Mohun Bagan club tent with the two club officials and state sports minister Aroop Biswas on the eve of the big-ticket clash which is slated for a 2 pm kick-off. Mohun Bagan are the home team for Sunday's game.

There will be 244 CCTV cameras and security will be "FIFA U-17 World Cup-like", it was learnt.

Not long ago, fan trouble resulted in a Kolkata derby not being completed after Mohun Bagan abandoned a match mid-way as their player Syed Rahim Nabi was hit on his face by a stone hurled from the crowd at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

As a result, the green and maroon brigade were slapped with a two-year ban from the I-League which was later lifted.

The last derby played at the colossal venue, which hosted 11 World Cup matches including the final, was on January 23. The match ended 1-1.

--IANS

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