ISL 2019-20: NorthEast United vs Bengaluru FC now open to spectators; to kick off at 6pm
The 40th match of ISL 2019-20, scheduled on Wednesday, between Bengaluru FC and NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, will now be open to spectators, the ISL announced today.
This is a U-Turn from the decision that was made yesterday to hold the match behind closed doors. The kick-off time has also been confirmed to be at 6pm, instead of the usual 7:30pm.
In a statement, the ISL said that gates to the stadium would be open at 4pm.
The decision to hold the game earlier than the usual kick-off time comes amidst widespread protests in Guwahati and large parts of Assam, against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which was passed in Parliament on Monday.
Guwahati was under curfew from 9pm to 6am until Tuesday morning, but that has now been lifted. Assam witnessed widespread protests over the last week, which saw NorthEast United's last home game against Chennaiyin FC postponed to an unconfirmed later date.
The Bengaluru FC squad travelled to Guwahati this morning for the game. The champions will be looking to come back from a disappointing 3-2 home defeat to Mumbai City FC on Sunday, while NorthEast will play their first game in 11 days, since their 3-0 loss to ATK.