Coronavirus scare: Mamata wants I league matches postponed due to covid 19

The West Bengal chief minister made the suggestion during a meeting with representatives of sports organizations and clubs in the state secretariat on Friday.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked for postponement of I-league football matches in Kolkata for the month of March in the wake of coronavirus threat as opposed to holding them in empty stadiums.

The West Bengal chief minister made the suggestion during a meeting with representatives of sports organizations and clubs in the state secretariat on Friday.

Mamata was responding to a decision by the AIFF authorities to hold two Kolkata matches scheduled in March in empty stadiums.

Banerjee opposed the decision, saying that it would deprive sports lovers.

Several sporting events have either been postponed or are being held without spectators in order to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus disease.

Board of Control for Cricket in India, too, decided to postpone the organization of the hugely popular Indian Premier League (IPL) to April 15 instead of holding matches in empty stadiums.

Indian cricket team was scheduled to play two one day internationals against visiting South African team in Lucknow and Kolkata on March 15 and March 18 respectively in empty stadiums but the tour was called off after the visiting players expressed apprehension.

Most of the states have shut down education institutions and public places like malls, cinema halls etc to prevent mass gathering which is conducive to rapid spread of the disease which has been declared a global pandemic and has killed over 5000 people across the globe till Friday including one casualty in India.