ISL: NorthEast United FC vs Chennaiyin FC in Guwahati Postponed Due to CAB Protests

The Indian Super League (ISL) match between NorthEast United FC and Chennaiyin FC in Guwahati scheduled for Thursday has been postponed indefinitely after the host city was placed under a curfew following protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

The game was slated to be played at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium there. “Due to the ongoing unrest in Guwahati, match 37 between NorthEast United FC and Chennaiyin FC has been postponed until further notice,” the ISL said in a statement. “The league has been in consultation with the concerned authorities over the past 48 hours to determine the best course of action. The safety of fans, players and league staff is of paramount importance, which has led to this decision,” it added. “Further information regarding the match will be conveyed in due course.”

OFFICIAL STATEMENT#HeroISL #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/vTUoxxwQxf

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 12, 2019

The two teams did not train on Wednesday and the pre-match media interactions were also called off.

Guwahati, the epicentre of anti-CAB protests, was placed under indefinite curfew on Wednesday night while the Army has been called in at four places. Assam Rifles personnel were deployed in Tripura on Wednesday after the two north-eastern states, after protests over the hugely emotive Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

A team official of NorthEast United FC said the side is currently stuck in a hotel in Guwahati. “We can’t get out of the hotel at this moment. Situation is not good here at all,” the official said on conditions of anonymity.

On Wednesday, the pre-match press conference of NorthEast United FC vs Chennaiyin FC was cancelled due to the situation in the city, which makes it even more likely that the match will take place with the situation only worsening since yesterday.

Yesterday, mobile Internet services for 24 hours from 7 pm were suspended in ten districts of the state (Assam)-Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Kamrup (metro) and Kamrup

On Wednesday as many as 125 members of the Upper House voted in favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill while 105 MPs voted against the Bill. It had been passed with a majority of 311 votes against 80 votes in the Lok Sabha earlier

It seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees who came from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014.

Image courtesy: twitter.com