File photo of Army Red players.
Army Red were on Thursday forced to withdraw from their Durand Cup quarterfinal against FC Bengaluru United after COVID-19 cases were detected in their squad, allowing their opponents to move into the last-four stage.
The match was scheduled for Friday but has now been called off.
"The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of 130th Durand Cup has called off the quarterfinal game between Army Red and FCBU scheduled for Friday, September 24, 2021, at the Kalyani stadium due to positive COVID cases reported in the Army Red squad," a media release said.
"All decisions have been taken, keeping in mind the health and safety of players and officials primarily and the continuity and success of the tournament," the release added.
Meanwhile, the other quarterfinal between Goa and Delhi FC will be held as scheduled on Friday but the venue has been shifted to Kalyani from Kolkata.
"The decision has been taken given the incessant rain in the city of Kolkata over the last few days, leaving the conditions at the Mohun Bagan ground unplayable," the organisers said in a separate release.
The kick-off timing remains the same at 2pm.
