Big win for Mohun Bagan: court grants club permission to host matches at Rabindra Sarobar

IN A LONG AWAITED verdict, the Kolkata high court's division bench granted Mohun Bagan the permission to use the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium as their home ground during their I-League campaign; and any AFC Cup matches that they qualify for.

This means tomorrow's match between Mohun Bagan and Shillong Lajong, which was supposed to take place behind closed doors at Barasat Stadium, will now be moved to Rabindra Sarobar where fans and spectators can attend.

The match will be held on its original kick-off time, at 7 pm under floodlights. The floodlights stands at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium are temporary, and the club has assured they will take precautionary measures to make sure the lights don't disturb the migratory birds who inhabit the nearby lake island.

The court has imposed a number of conditions that the club must strictly adhere to during the matches. They are:

i) No more than 10,000 tickets can be sold
ii) The nearby trees must be draped in black clothes to minimise the reflection of light
iii) No car can be parked within 500 meters of the stadium premises
iv) No solid waste can be left in the stadium
v) There can be no use of loud speakers
vi) Within 30 minutes of the match being over, the lights must be turned off.

Interestingly, when Atletico de Kolkata were given the permission to play their ISL home matches at Rabindra Sarobar, they were asked to observe almost all these rules except a vital one: the private tournaement was allowed to use non-stop music and fireworks, including an in-house DJ blasting tracks sub-woofers, and half-time celebrity interviews being played loud for the entire stadium.

Mohun Bagan are set to play 8 more I-League home matches and an AFC Cup qualifier home leg at Rabindra Sarobar. If the Mariners manage to qualify for the AFC Cup group stage, they will play 3 additional home games at the same venue. The AFC Cup matches are the primary reason Mohun Bagan club officials originally sought to use Rabindra Sarobar, because the Barasat Stadium does not meet the required criteria. 

Although the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium has not been pre-approved to host AFC Cup matches this season, the arena has hosted multiple continental club matches in the past, and the club has sought the help of AIFF to get the stadium approved for use during their Asian campaign.