Yakubu accuses Mohun Bagan fans of racism remarks

Kolkata: I-League match in Kalyani in Nadia district has yet again made news for the wrong reasons as Mumbai FC forward Yusif Yakubu accused Mohun Bagan fans of shouting racial abuses and ‘monkey’ chants.

The incident happened when Mohun Bagan bounced back in the match to level 2-2 before wrapping it up 3-2 on Wednesday as the fans allegedly hurled ‘racial abuses’ at the Ghanian. "It`s beyond me why the fans were abusing me. There were all kinds of slangs and abusive language, some of which I can`t even mention. This is racism," Yakubu said. Asked whether he would lodge an official complaint, Yakubu said, "Why should I? It won`t be of any help. Even if Mohun Bagan are penalised, they will still somehow find a way out." I-League CEO Sunando Dhar termed it surprising and said they would have to wait for an official complaint. "Odafa Okolie, the Mohun Bagan captain, is also an African, so this is quite surprising. We`ll have to first talk to the match commissioner and wait for an official complaint from Mumbai FC," Dhar said. When contacted, Mohun Bagan finance secretary Debashish Dutta, who was at the ground as team manager shot back. "Have you seen him (Yakubu) being abused? I don`t go by newspaper reports. I`ll only react only if there`s an official complaint," Dutta told PTI. The same venue made headlines recently when about half a dozen snakes were spotted during Mohun Bagan`s match against Pailan Arrows on March 24 with the authorities saying they were helpless as the venue was a snake-infested area. PTI