Jersey war in IPL 2023: Black tapes on jerseys after Mohun Bagan-East Bengal fans stopped at Eden Gardens, KKR puts onus on IPL rules
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), on Monday, issued a statement that refuted claims that the franchise had stopped fans wearing the Mohun Bagan jersey from entering the Eden Gardens during the recently concluded IPL match against Lucknow SuperGiants.
Dubbing the claims as misleading, KKR accused the Goenka group of “ambush marketing” and wrote: “There are some misleading reports that are floating around that KKR management had stopped some fans from entering Eden Gardens during the KKR vs LSG IPL game on May 20.”
“For the record, KKR management has nothing to do with crowd management at the stadium. We were told that some ambush marketing was attempted by some vested interests, which as per IPL league policy was promptly stopped by the IPL league Anti-Ambush Marketing team.
However, videos that have surfaced online since the match, present a completely different picture.
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Subhamay Das, 27, a medical technologist, arrived at the ground on Saturday wearing an East Bengal jersey.
However, right at the entrance of gate number three, he was stopped by a person claiming to be a member of the management and was promptly told to remove the jersey and don a KKR t-shirt. ‘Eta cricket er event, apni football er jersey pore achen ( this is a cricket event and you are wearing a football jersey). It is not allowed,’ – the official standing at the gate can be heard saying in the video to Das.
According to Das, the police personnel did not cause any problems but had warned him of the potential harassment while he was entering the venue. When asked to remove the jersey, Das, a die-hard fan of East Bengal, flatly refused.
“When I told them I would not remove my jersey, they applied black tape on it, but I did not allow them to put it on the logo. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have cricket teams which have existed long before KKR. Do they have any idea of what they are doing? Has something like this ever happened anywhere in the world,” he said while speaking to The Indian Express on Monday.
According to Das, he also saw a heap of KKR t-shirts and flags lying beside the official who stopped him and that raised a doubt in his mind if he was representing IPL or KKR. “The official who stopped me only had KKR’s material beside him. If he was from IPL, he should also be having LSG’s t-shirts as well. I could be an LSG fan. Will IPL only give KKR materials for fans? So I am not sure who gave them the authority to stop us,” he said.
On Sunday, Mohun Bagan general secretary Debashish Dutta slammed KKR for its actions. In a statement released on social media, Dutta said: “It was a special match for the supporters of Mohun Bagan because LSG was wearing a new Green and Maroon Jersey.”
“This is an insult to Kolkata’s sporting culture, its fans and the football clubs of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal,” said Das.
Earlier, on Saturday, another section of Mohun Bagan fans alleged they were not allowed to enter the iconic Eden Gardens because their t-shirts and scarves had Mohun Bagan’s logo.
Members of a fan club, Mariners Arena, took out a procession from the Maidan Tent area to the stadium before the start of the IPL 2023 match between hosts Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and visitors Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG).
After a rally, where slogans supporting Bagan were raised, the supporters tried to enter the ground with their valid tickets but were denied entry.
Press Release.#MohunBagan #Mariners #MBAC #MohunBaganAthleticClub #JoyMohunBagan #PressRelease #Press pic.twitter.com/iQfbfH5T3P
— Mohun Bagan (@Mohun_Bagan) May 21, 2023
The incident comes against the backdrop of LSG’s announcement that they would wear a special jersey in their final league game of the IPL. The jersey is inspired by Mohun Bagan, the iconic Indian football club owned by the RPSG Group, which owns LSG.
According to one fan, Kaustav Debnath, the supporters were blocked at gates 9 and 13 of the Eden Gardens and told that the Mohun Bagan logo was prohibited inside the stadia. Even Mohun Bagan flags and scarves were allegedly not allowed.
The fans were finally allowed after some of them changed their jersey while others wore it inside out.
In a statement on social media, the fan page slammed KKR and wrote: “Shameful behaviour from our own city-based franchisee. We took out a procession from the Mohun Bagan tent up to Eden Gardens with flex, tifo, scarves and t-shirts supporting Bagan. Police authorities did not resist, but personnel appointed by KKR did stop us. Nothing related to Mohun Bagan was allowed. After much argument, we could not reach a reasonable outcome. So we had no option but to keep everything outside and then enter. After this, Mohun Bagan supporters will think twice before supporting KKR”.
On Sunday, Mohun Bagan general secretary Debashish Dutta slammed KKR for its actions.
In a statement released on social media, Dutta said: “It was a special match for the supporters of Mohun Bagan because LSG was wearing a new Green and Maroon Jersey.”
“But, the KKR management curtailed the freedom of the Mohun Bagan supporters (who are also fans of KKR and LSG) by not allowing them to enter the stadium as they were wearing the jersey of Mohun Bagan.”
“It is an individual’s right to support and wear the jersey of the team which he/she loves and supports. No one has the right to interfere in one’s own choice,” he added.
