East Bengal, Mohun Bagan Foreign Staff To Depart India for Netherlands

Foreign players and staff of Kolkota giants, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, who were stranded, will leave the country on Tuesday.

The departure of the coaches and players will be from New Delhi to their respective countries after getting to Kolkota by bus and checking in to a hotel before a trip back home on Tuesday from Delhi.

Spanish coach Mario Rivera, East Bengal’s manager, disclosed on Monday. “Yes, we have reached safely we have our flight at 3 a.m. tomorrow morning,” Rivera was quoted.

The players who rode into New Delhi at around 3 p.m. this afternoon via a bus were stranded because of the nationwide lockdown in India, which is done to curb the spread of coronavirus.

While being taken at the Spanish embassy, the players will travel to Amsterdam in the Netherlands on an arranged special Dutch airways flight and from the Dutch capital to their respective towns.

Five Spaniards, including players and coaches from East Bengal, will travel the route, Victor Perez, Jaime Santos, Juan Mera, and Marcos de la Espada as well as coach Rivera.

However, the duo of Senegalese Kassim Aidara and Costa Rica’s Jhonny Acosta didn’t travel with the team as the arranged route does not favor them and are still in India.

Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan has Joseba Beitia, Fran Gonzalez, and Fran Morante from Spain; Daniel Cyrus of Trinidad, Senegalese Baba Diawara, and Komron Turunov of Tajikistan stranded.

Kibu Vicuna who led the team to the I-league title is also a part of the contingent stuck in India due to lockdown caused by the spread of coronavirus

However, Vicuna will now be at Kerala Blasters for the 2020-2021 season as Mohun Bagan will play in the India Super League after being merged with Atletico De Kolkota.

Mohun Bagan won the I-League with four matches left to play.

Written by:  Daniel Ademiju Idowu