Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
MAPUSA: The Goa Professional League had a delayed start due to various reasons in the 2019-20 season. However, despite having a late start, the GFA’s elite league’s Round one’s fourth match between holders Football Club of Goa and Panjim Footballers was abandoned at Duler stadium on Friday.
While the teams were there at the venue, the match had to be called off due to Panjim Footballers’ players non-registration in the Competition Management System.
Joaquim Manuel D’Silva Match Commissioner when contacted for clarity on this decision said “I did not find Panjim Footballers players on Competition Management System (CMS), except three players. However, the results of the match would be decided by the GFA’s headquarters.”
The CRS is practised in the GFA’s Goa Pro League for the first time and the teams were given a brief by an AIFF representative earlier this year.
Competition Chairman Dominic Pereira (GFA) said, “the teams were informed well in advance about the Central Registration System and it was a lapse from the team of not doing it well in time”
One of the team managers demanded full points while the other clarified on the issue and problems he faced.
FC Goa Manager Richard Rebello said that his team deserves full points as they are at no fault, while Panjim Footballers Manager Anthony Vaz said “We had done everything in CRS, where money was charged by AIFF for every registration and now it is not approved. I tried calling AIFF and GFA but did not receive any response”.
It is learnt from a source of Panjim Footballers, that Panjim Players are under approval from All India Football Federation on the Central Registration System (CRS).
Spectators who had turned up for the match were left disappointed while a few remained back to watch an exhibition match between the two. The entry fees collected was returned to the spectators.
However Gregory D’Souza from Nerul along with other spectators present wanted to know whether GFA was aware about Panjim Footballers team not been registered under CMS or not, if so why was the media not informed as it would have not given them the trouble of travelling all the way from Anjuna, Siolim, Aldona etc to watch the match.
Further they requested the media to find out from GFA headquarters if the players of the remaining two matches which will feature Salgaocar FC, Corps of Signals, Guardian Angel and Churchill Brothers are registered under CMS.
Now the real question is, are all the players from all teams registered in the CRS or CMS? Whether all the matches played earlier had valid registered players? Are the players of the final two games of the Round 1 registered and will the matches be played? Only GFA will have an answer for the same.
