With all of its dramatic on-field rivalry and glorious past, the Kolkata derby between East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant is arguably the most enticing fixture in the history of Indian football. The two Indian giants, who boast a rich heritage, are all set to clash against each other on Sunday at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata. Ahead of the much-awaited return leg fixture of the Indian Super League (ISL), the two clubs have been involved in a fiery off-the-field confrontation. It has been learnt that Mohun Bagan have asked their fans to boycott the derby due to higher ticket prices.

The move comes in the wake of some Mohun Bagan stands costing more than double the price of their arch-rivals East Bengal, who are also the hosts of the ISL return leg game. A report published by the PTI claims that the ticket prices range from Rs 100 to Rs 1000 for the hosts, while for Mohun Bagan it hovers around Rs 250 to Rs 3000.

“It is unprecedented anywhere in the world that away team fans will have to buy match tickets at a price which is almost double than that of the home team fans… This is shameful,” Mohun Bagan said sharing a statement on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

“Under the circumstances, we unequivocally condemn the unsportsmanlike behaviour of East Bengal and have decided that we will neither buy nor sell any tickets of the derby match of ISL between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal Club. This communication may be treated as an official boycott call of the upcoming derby from our side,” the statement added.

Terming the situation as “sad,” East Bengal executive committee member Debabrata Sarkar said that they would ensure an event like this does not occur again in the future.

“The ticket pricings are done by Emami (principal owners)… It is a sad situation and hope that it’s not happened in future. I’ve spoken to the sports minister but as of now nothing can be done,” Sarkar was quoted as saying by PTI.

The derby was initially scheduled to start from 7.30 pm but it was later rescheduled to 8.30 pm. The two sides had last faced each other on February 3 and the match had ended with a 2-2 score line. While East Bengal are currently still vying for a place in the playoffs, Mohun Bagan find themselves placed comfortably at the third spot in the ISL standings.