THE OFFICIAL HANDOVER of the I-League 2019-20 trophy to the champions Mohun Bagan will take place at Kolkata' Hyatt Regency Hotel on Sunday, 18th October.
Afterwards, the trophy will be taken to the club premises in a rally where it will be on display for the fans to see.
A press notice sent out by the club today said,
"The Trophy would be handed over to players and coaches who are available in Kolkata in presence of our Club President Shri Swapan Sadhan Bose and the entire Executive Committee members. The event would start off with the champion song followed by an audio-visual of the I-League journey for 2019-20 season.
Since, most of the coaches and players will not be able to join the program physically due to the current pandemic scenario and commitments with their respective teams, we have organised to take them on a live Zoom call so they can be part of the event virtually and enjoy the memorable moment and feel a part of the same. As informed earlier that due to stringent guidelines and protocols laid down by the Central and State Government we had to shift the event to a closed confined place to adhere to the Covid-19 protocol guidelines. But considering the emotions of our millions of supporters we would be streaming the entire ceremony live on our Facebook and YouTube page for them to relish the moment they all have been waiting for.
Post the presentation ceremony a procession is organised from Hotel Hyatt Regency to Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. The coveted trophy would be put into a glass cascade in an open Jeep to bring it to the club. The procession will commence from Hotel Hyatt Regency and shall touch import points as per the route map."
The club has also released a map of the route that will be followed for the rally.
Last time Mohun Bagan won the I-League trophy 5 years ago, a spontaneous rally of hundreds of thousands was present in a massive rally that brought the silverware from the airport all the way to the club premises. This time, however, the rally is expected to be a toned-down affair to adhere to the COVID-19 safety regulations.
This may well turn out to be one of the last trysts football fans in Kolkata get to have with the I-League trophy as Mohun Bagan will not return to defend their title, having moved on to join the Indian Super League from 2020-21 onwards. Their arch rivals East Bengal, too, have joined the ISL. However, two Kolkata-based club Mohammedan Sporting and Bhawanipore FC are in the race to enter the I-League by winning the I-League Qualifiers.