Sports fraternity fumes over video of Sunil Chhetri being pushed away by Bengal governor
Meanwhile, a video of West Bengal Governor La. Ganesan Iyer shoving Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri for a photo went viral on social media.
Bengaluru FC on Sunday created history by defeating Mumbai City FC to win their maiden Durand Cup title at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Bengaluru FC beat Mumbai City FC 2-1 to win the 134-year-old competition, the oldest club tournament in Asia and third-oldest in the world. Sivasakthi and Brazilian Alan Costa scored the two goals for Bengaluru to help them lift the title for the first time in their history.
Bengal Governor & Minister jostle with Durand cup-winning players to pose with trophies
Meanwhile, a video of West Bengal Governor La. Ganesan Iyer shoving Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri for a photo went viral on social media, creating controversy around the game. Bengal governor can be seen pushing Chhetri in the video to get himself in the frame during the trophy presentation ceremony. The incident did not go over well, as a number of well-known figures from the sports community criticised Iyer on Twitter for his despicable behaviour towards one of India’s greatest footballers.
Another video showed West Bengal’s Sports Minister pushing Bengaluru FC striker Sivasakthi aside to make his way for a photo with the trophy. The Twitter user who posted the video has written that the incident happened just minutes before Sunil Chhetri’s episode.
Bengaluru FC vs Mumbai City FC
Bengaluru had the early advantage in the Durand Cup final courtesy of the team’s top scorer Sivasakthi Narayanan who found the back of the net in the 5th minute. Jovanovic had put ball forward which Mumbai City FC defender Mourtada Fall failed to deal with. Sivasakthi pounced on the opportunity and scored the goal with a measured chip over the keeper. Mumbai City FC got the equalizer at the half-hour mark when Greg Stewart’s left-footed shot was fended off by Gurpreet Sandhu, only for Apuia to tap home the rebound with ease.
Bengaluru FC took the lead for the second and final time when Chhetri delivered the ball from a corner kick which Brazilian Alan Costa nailed with a header into the back of the Mumbai net. Mumbai City came close to equalising the score yet again with Spanish midfielder Ripoll hitting the bar in the 77th minute. With six minutes of time added on, Mumbai gave it one final shot and Greg Stewart came close in the 94th minute, but his effort was also wide.
