Kolkata, March 25 (IANS) East Bengal will have to go to Iraq for the AFC Cup match against Arbil next month without their English coach and Australian star striker as a fall-out of the Iraq war.
The absence has been caused as the duo come from countries which participated in the Iraq war and have issued travel advisories for their citizens saying it would not be safe for them to visit the Middle East nation.
Coach Trevor Morgan and striker Tolgay Ozbey were reluctant to go to Iraq because of the travel guidelines issued by their countries' authorities, said a top East Bengal official.
East Begnal are slated to take on Arbil April 10.
"According to the travel advisories issued by the British and Australian governments, Morgan and Ozbey can go to Iraq only at their own risk," said East Bengal club secretary Kalyan Majumdar.
"Obviously, they are reluctant to travel and in such a scenario we can't force them as their safety and security are at risk," said Majumdar.
With Morgan not being a part of the touring party, assistant coach Ranjan Chowdhury will guide the team in Iraq.
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