Match-fixing in Goan football was red flagged by the Asian Football Confederation in March this year. It coincided with the COVID-19 induced lockdown and the abrupt halt to sporting activity, keeping Goa’s football fields empty through the summer, but then administrative work need not have stopped. What has Goa Football Association done to redeem the game and get it to emerge from the allegations that have been made? There is evidence of match-fixing as Herald has reported, so why isn’t there any effort being made to uncover the truth? When there are players who are paid Rs 8000 a month for playing in Goa Professional League, isn’t there scope for players to fall prey to offers from the other side?
Take a look at the decision of Goa Football Association taken two days ago to set up a five-member committee headed by a retired judge to investigate the matches that have been red flagged by the Asian Football Confederation. The matches that have been identified were played in the Pro League and ironically most of the Goa Pro League club officials are part of the executive committee of the football association that decided to opt for an internal inquiry on match-fixing. Why is Goa Football Association fighting shy from allowing the police to investigate? Aren’t allegations of this nature better suited for a police probe?
Perhaps Goa Football Association could take a leaf out from how other associations and teams in the country have handled bribery and match-fixing allegations. Minerva Punjab players were approached and since they had screenshots of the messages the All India Football Federation integrity officer handed over the case to CBI. Since it was just the first phase, wherein the bookies had approached the players and the players hadn’t committed any crime and the players themselves had approached the club owners, the case was closed within a few days. It ended there. Similarly, we need to end the Goa match fixing case quickly so that football can be played without any shadow of doubt hanging over it.
If Goa Football Association insists on its committee to probe, then the terms of reference of this committee need to go beyond just the matches that have been red flagged to unearth other grey areas in football. The major one being finances of the clubs. A club playing in the Pro League would require nothing less than an annual budget of Rs 30 lakh. With this amount it would be in position to only fulfill the bare minimum requirements of a club at this level, and get on the field without any big names in the playing 11. How do the clubs manage to get these funds?
The bigger clubs are often funded by the owners – often big business houses – and there are clubs that are also being funded by groups of football fans who are only doing it for the love of the game. Then there are other clubs that struggle to get sponsors, how do these manage? Can the football association seek a financial audit of the all the football clubs that are registered with it?
If we are looking at a clean-up of Goan football, and it is required at this point of time, then Goa Football Association must play a much bigger role. The Pro League is the top tier of football in Goa. The association may perhaps need to set eligibility norms for the clubs playing in the Pro League. This criteria needs to be put down in writing so that clubs know what is expected from them in order to play in the top league. The match fixing allegations have to be put behind us before the start of the season, so that Goan football begins anew on a clean slate.
