Team Herald
PANJIM: Coming down heavily on All India Football Federation (AIFF) over I-league pull-out by Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa, the latter’s CEO Victor G Fernandes has said that this should have been a wake-up call for the federation.
“The pull-out of Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa should have been a wake-up call for the AIFF, to at least now set its messy house in order but instead the federation, and its general secretary Kushal Das, have resorted to unnecessarily pointing the accusing finger at us”, Victor said.
In an interview with the media, Das said, “FC Bardez have a bigger fan following than these clubs. I have seen them in the Goa Pro League”, to this Victor replied, “To say that a four-month-old club has more fan following than us is ridiculous and a huge insult to the contribution of clubs like Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa, who have contributed immensely to the development of Indian football”.
“We wonder how many matches Kushal Das watched in Goa and how many I-League matches he has attended since becoming secretary?,” he questioned.
“For Das’s knowledge, until some years ago, both clubs attracted massive crowd wherever it played. The Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, saw big attendances but since Praful Patel took over as president and Kushal Das was appointed secretary, the numbers have dwindled. Indian football’s slump is also reflected in the poor rankings and much of this is due to mismanagement by the AIFF”, he added.
Victor further said that the AIFF cannot blame the Goan clubs to hide its own inefficiency. Indian football is at its lowest ebb and an ill-informed secretary doesn’t help its cause.
“Das must remember that he is a paid employee of the AIFF. We have not made a living out of football but instead helped others make a living through football. It is clear that Das, who is occupying a wrong chair, has no clue about football in India and his comments reflect the deplorable state of AIFF at the moment”, he said
