East Bengal star defender Arnab Mondal has been given three days' time to respond to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) over racism allegations. The Indian football governing body has also issued a show cause notice to the Indian player.
Mohun Bagan's Trinidad & Tobago forward Cornell Glen had alleged that Mondal hurled a racist remark at him during the I-League Kolkata Derby in Siliguri last Saturday, which the Red and Golds won 2-1, thanks to a brace from South Korean attacking midfielder Do Dong Hyun.
The defending I-League champions took serious offence to the incident and they wrote two letters to the AIFF -- one from the club as a whole and one from Glen. Bagan also said that they were hopeful of strict action against Arnab as the incident was also reported in the referee's report after the match.
"The AIFF has show caused him [Arnab Mondal] and he has to reply by the seventh [of this month]," I-League CEO Sunando Dhar told Goal.
The match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan at the Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri was marred by controversies, as tempers flared all around the pitch with yellow cards being flashed quite frequently. In one such incident, Mohun Bagan assistant coach Shankarlal Chakraborty was sent to the stands by referee Santosh Kumar, after the assistant coach got into a heated argument with the match official in the first half itself.
The AIFF has also not let Chakraborty go scot-free. According to The Telegraph India, he has also been issued a show cause by the Indian football governing body. Both the incidents were mentioned by the referee and the match commissioner in their report.