East Bengal concede to Bagan’s boycott pressure, set to revise ‘Kolkata derby’ ticket price

Kolkata: Bowing down to pressure and boycott threat from Mohun Bagan fans, arch-rivals East Bengal on Friday announced that any “discrepancies in ticket pricing” for the high-profile return leg Kolata Derby on Sunday will be “corrected”.

The announcement came a day after Mohun Bagan general secretary Debasish Dutta called for an “official boycott” from the fans, citing disparity in ticket pricing.

However, after discussions with the state sports minister Aroop Biswas and recognising the sentiments of the football community, East Bengal management did a course correction only 48 hours prior to the game.

“Any discrepancies in ticket pricing for the derby match (on Sunday) will be corrected with immediate effect,” East Bengal director Sandeep Agarwal, who represents principal owners Emami, said in a statement.

He further promised that there will be an uniform cost for all spectators for the much-anticipated derby in future.

“Going forward, uniform pricing will be implemented for all attendees of this highly anticipated event,” he added.

As per the tickets listed on vendor portal, BookMyShow, the prices earlier ranged from Rs 100 to Rs 1000 for East Bengal stands, while in the case of their rivals Mohun Bagan it varied from

Rs 250 to Rs 3000.