ISL 2017/18: Police allegedly take down away fans' banners in FC Goa vs Chennaiyin FC semifinal
What's the story?
Troubles in the stands and especially for the travelling away fans has been a major talking point in this season of the ISL. Saturday night at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, the away support of Chennaiyin FC have alleged that the police on duty in the stands took down their banners in a harsh manner.
The action has irked the Chennaiyin faithful in which a lot of their banners have reportedly been damaged.
In case you didn't know...
The honours were shared on the field as FC Goa and the Chennaiyin played out a tightly contested 1-1 draw. Manuel Lanzarote opened the scoring for the home side but Anirudh Thapa scored the equalizer just minutes after. In doing so, Chennaiyin FC have registered a crucial away goal and will go back to their home turf with an advantage.
The heart of the matter
Coming back to the banners issue, a video posted by a Chennaiyin FC fan on social media shows how the police took down banners before the start of play. There have been suggestions coming that the banners were hampering the view of the people in the stands, which is why the men in charge took them down.
But it is the way they were taken down by the police that have reportedly resulted in all the banners being damaged, something that has irked the Super Machans faithful.
What's next?
No authority has yet spoken on this issue but a reply from the league or FC Goa is expected later in the day.
Author's take
Though the situation in the stands may not have been the ideal scene for the travelling fans, one can hope that Thapa's massive away goal may have improved the mood in the camp for the away support.