CHENNAI: The Indian Super League game between NorthEast United and Chennaiyin FC in Guwahati was postponed on Thursday morning due to the protests in the city over the CAB bill.
“Due to the ongoing unrest in Guwahati; Match 37 between NorthEast United FC and Chennaiyin FC has been postponed until further notice,” said a league 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. Further information regarding the match will be conveyed in due course.”
The match had looked doubtful on Wednesday with the post-match press conference called off amid the worsening situation. It is understood that the Chennaiyin team is still in Guwahati with their flight out scheduled for Friday afternoon.
After the news broke in the morning that the game had been called off, the players and other team staff spent the entire day confined to their hotel. While mobile internet services in the state have reportedly been cut off, the players and staff faced no trouble in communicating with their families thanks to the hotel wifi.
The situation means that there is a cloud over the next ISL fixture in Guwahati which is between the home team and Bengaluru FC on December 18.
Sources close to BFC said that the club was focussed on its home game against Mumbai City FC on December 15 and would only take a decision on the NorthEast game after that. Manipur, another state that has been affected by the protests, is scheduled to hold an I-League game on December 22 between home side Tiddim Road Athletic Union FC and Real Kashmir.