AFC Cup: Bashundhara Kings finally leaves for Kolkata

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football champion Bashundhara Kings left Dhaka for Kolkata Monday morning to play their AFC Cup away match against Mohun Bagan Super Giant of Kolkata on Tuesday. alamy.com via UNB

Dhaka, Oct 23 - Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football champion Bashundhara Kings finally left Dhaka for Kolkata Monday morning to play their AFC Cup away match against Mohun Bagan Super Giant of Kolkata on Tuesday .

The Kings due to leave Kolkata again for match venue in Bhubaneswar Monday noon to play Kolkata-based Mohun Bagan Club there.

The AFC Cup Group D match between two football giants of Dhaka and Kolkata will kick off on Tuesday at 10 pm Bangladesh time at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Earlier on Sunday, Bashundhara Kings released a statement declaring that it would not be able to play the AFC Cup match against the Kolkata-based Mohun Bagan Club due to “lack of proper co-operation and helpfulness” from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and from the Indian Embassy in Bangladesh to get Indian visa in time.

Media Manager of the Bashundhara Kings Ahmed Sheikh informed the newsmen that their team (Kings) did not get Indian visa till 5 pm on Sunday (October 22).

Earlier on Saturday (October 21) the Kings, in a letter to AFC competition committee, informed the details of their suffering regarding Indian visa.

After a huge uncertainty and drama, the visa problems of the Kings has been finally solved as they got their required Indian visa for the AFC Cup group stage match in the dying moment on after 8 pm on Sunday. 

Earlier, Bashundhara Kings was placed in Group D of the AFC Cup with Odisha FC and Mohun Bagan Club of India, and Maziya SRC of the Maldives.

In the ongoing AFC Cup, the Kings played two matches so far. They beat Odisha FC by 3-2 goals in home match in Dhaka and lost to Maziya in their away in Male.-UNB