Northeast United versus Chennaiyin FC postponed due to political tension
The game between Northeast United and Chennaiyin FC, which was scheduled to be held at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati today, has been postponed due to political tension.
The huge demur comes after the Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) on Monday night - leading to protest across the state. Citing this as the reason in the official statement released this morning, the league has confirmed that this fixture will be played later due to the lack of security for the fans, players, and the league staffs.
It read: "Due to the ongoing unrest in Guwahati; match 37 between NorthEast United FC and Chennaiyin FC has been postponed until further notice.
The League has been in consultation with the concerned authorities over the past 48 hours to determine the best course of action. The safety of fans, players, and league staff is of paramount importance, which led to this decision.
Further information regarding the match will be conveyed in due course."
Owen Coyle and Robert Jarni were not able to head to the stadium for the pre-match press conference, which was eventually called off after a period of wait yesterday.
Following the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), the huge outcry among the Assamese people broke when it was confirmed that the legislation would be debated in Rajya Sabha.
By trying to take measures with regard to the same, police has been forced to fire rubber bullets and take 'lathi-charge' on the protesters in Dibrugarh district, police said.
This fixture will be rescheduled after learning the situation in and across Assam, to host the game safely without any trouble later. However, these two sides will go head-to-head at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on January 16.
Northeast United under Robert Jarni have made a reasonable start by collecting 10 points from 7 games. They sit fifth in the table and are just two points away from fourth-placed Jamshedpur FC.
In the wake of just two points before the international break, the Marina Machans have collected four points from the previous three games. With eleven games still left, new manager Owen Coyle, who was forced to settle for a draw against Jamshedpur, has ambitions of breaking into the top four this campaign.