4 reasons why the Kolkata Derby is a must watch
Even though one team is a point away from winning the Calcutta Football League and the other is stuck in mid-table mediocrity when East Bengal and Mohun Bagan take the field on Sunday, Bengal will stop and gaze on the spectacle that they are blessed with, The Kolkata Derby.East Bengal need a point to be confirmed as the Champions, but a loss to their rivals will sour the taste of victory while Bagan will want to win it, ending what has been a torrid CFL campaign and earn the bragging rights for their supporters The battle between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan is considered as the battle of ‘Bangal’ (people who came to West Bengal after 1947 partition) and the ‘Ghoti’s (those residing at West Bengal before partition). They don’t bother who will win the CFL, but who will win the Derby.Here are the interesting angles in this season’s first derby:
#1 Newly built turf
One of the star attractions of this Derby is surely going to be the newly built turf. Till a few months ago, the Salt Lake Stadium was one of the rarest football ground on the earth that had artificial turf (a synthetic layer of grass). As per the FIFA regulations, all the international matches have to be played on a field which has natural grass.
So when India were given the responsibility to organize the U-17 World Cup by FIFA, the fate of the astroturf came to an end. The preparation of the new turf started three months ago and it is still not completely ready.
It was way back in the 2008-09 season when the Derby was played on a natural grass ground. East Bengal won the match by 3-0 thanks to the goal of Rahim Nabi (2) and Sunil Chhetri. This match will be the first time since then that the Salt Lake will see some competitive football and it is the biggest game in Indian Football that it will witness.