Mohammedan Sporting, Bhowanipore granted permission to resume training

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club and Bhowanipore FC, the two teams from Bengal that will be participating in the second division qualifiers, have been granted permission to resume training as a special case.
"Sports minister Aroop Biswas had a meeting with Mohammedan Sporting and Bhowanipore officials today. We have been given permission to resume training.We thank the sports minister for considering our case," said Mohammedan Sporting's football secretary Dipendu Biswas.
This will be the first time two football teams in the state will resume practice since sporting activities came to a standstill with the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. The clubs will surely have to follow all safety protocols and will have to train at enclosed stadiums.
Mohammedan Sporting's general secretary Sk. Wasim Akram informed that an executive committee meeting of the club has been convened on Wednesday. "We will decide in the meeting on how we will proceed with the training sessions and the measures that need to be adopted. Obviously, the players will be tested before practice commences," he said.
It has been learnt that Mohammedan Sporting players will undergo Covid-19 tests by the end of this week. The training session will start at Mohammedan Sporting ground and the plan thereafter is to have a camp in Kalyani. These are the aspects that are likely to be discussed in the meeting on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, sources informed that Bhowanipore FC will most probably resume with gym sessions before having their practice at the Mohun Bagan ground from early September.
The second division qualifiers will be held in Bengal after the All India Football Federation decided to hand the hosting rights to the Indian Football Association.