City rivals East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting dished out a goalless draw but scored enough on on-field violence to have four players sent off in a premier division match of the Kolkata Football League here on Saturday.
A relatively lacklustre performance by the two sides failed to produce a result but the action at the Salt Lake stadium took a turn for worse over a foul committed towards the end of the match.
It all began in the 82nd minute when Mohammedan midfielder Dipankar Roy got booked for a foul on East Bengal's Saikat Saha Roy. Mohammedan Sporting players mobbed the referee Biplab Poddar protesting against his decision.
East Bengal players too joined the scene and got into an argument with the opponents. Words gave way to fists as East Bengal midfielder Alvito D'cunha and Sporting striker Eduardo Escobar got into a fight. Tow more players — East Bengal defender Uga Okpara and Dipankar Roy — joined the skirmish forcing the police to intervene.
The match restarted after being held up for 10 minutes as the referee ejected the four players showing them red card.
The on-field violence will now be referred to the disciplinary committee of the organiser – Indian Football Association. The committee will be meeting soon to decide the next course of action once the referee submits his report, said an IFA spokesperson.
