JOVITO LOPES
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Churchill Bros, on Wednesday, filed a strong appeal against the decision of AIFF in deducting only 10 points and rescheduling Mohun Bagan I-League matches during the team’s suspension period following the AIFF’s decision to lift the 3-year ban, as a result of the appeal of the Kolkata club after the I-League Core Committee’s verdict based on One Man Inquiry Commission by a Supreme Court (retd) judge.
Churchill Alemao found fault with the manner in which AIFF’s executive committee went about on totally lifting the ban and imposing certain penalties on Mohun Bagan without citing specific rules to back their decisions, which as such are illogical and without any rationale.
“The suspension was according to the I-league regulations – Rule 22 (c) and others. It’s very specific and appropriate. The rule talks about abandonment only and clearly prescribes punishment for all such acts. And, the executive committee agrees that it is in perfect order, more so as a judge of Supreme Court investigated the matter and succinctly concluded that Mohun Bagan cannot take shelter under Force Majeur. The same cannot be said about the revoking of the suspension and imposing other conditions. Such powers must be inherent in the rules, thus the executive committee has exceeded their powers, if not let the members point out under which clause or rule they can turn down the initial verdict and impose new sanctions, more so when the AIFF boasts that it will be the first and last time that such a decision be taken and should not be pointed out as a precedent. If this be the trend, then one can expect any sort of verdict in the future thus giving an impression that the AIFF has unlimited powers to do what they feel like doing without taking recourse to their own rules, or disregarding their own rules” reasoned out Churchill.
“The AIFF agrees that an exception has been granted to Mohun Bagan and that no exceptions shall ever be granted to any other club in future. This is sheer discrimination, taking us back to the era of apartheid. The offence committed by Bagan is grave and the punishment very, very light. It defies logic. Bagan stand suspended from December 10 to January 14, and all their matches during the suspension period are to be rescheduled. This is ridiculous, to say the least. That means Bagan were never punished for their grave act in the first instance. And, this itself now becomes a punishment for the other clubs,” elaborated Churchill.
“Bagan used the suspension period for closed coaching camp. They had four players on the injury list then. Now, all of them have recovered and are fully fit. The other clubs continued with their matches and have several players who are injured. Clearly, it’s total advantage Bagan, which can be nullified for the sake of fair play if all other clubs are also given such an over a month’s rest for recovery,” stated Churchill.
“Bagan should continue playing matches slated from January 15 only as per the original calendar, there being no scope whatsoever for playing matches from the suspension period right from the day of abandonment on December 9,” explained Churchill.
“The AIFF has shown total leniency in totally revoking the ban. It is the authors of the `abandonment letter’ who should have been taken to task and the ban shifted from the club to them, since it was affecting the players and fans. Those who wrote the letter should have been banned because it is they or one person who signed it who should be held totally responsible for the abandonment. Imposing a fine can send wrong signals that one can commit a serious offence and can get away by paying money. The AIFF has compromised on certain sacred principles and that’s bad for any sport,” remarked Churchill.
Finding fault with the deduction of only 12 points that were logged in by Bagan, Churchill opined that all Bagan matches upto January 15 should be treated as null and void, for teams like Lajong, Dempo, East Bengal who beat them earlier would now stand to benefit and gain advantage in overall calculation of points, while those who lost like Salgaocar and Sporting Clube de Goa would be the losers finally.
Churchill has also taken up the matter with the Indian Professional Clubs Association (IPFCA) president RAJ Gomes so that equitable justice is provided to all other clubs. “If IPFCA could plead that the 3-year suspension was too harsh, it is now duty bound to highlight the injustice as a result of the follow-up of the AIFF’s executive committee U-turn, as after all, we live in a democracy,” summed up Churchill, who added that as of now Bagan look like the beneficiaries of the abandonment as far as action on the playfield is concerned.
To set matters right, the AIFF could appoint another One Man Inquiry Commission to decide whether their executive committee decision is correct or not, and if it decides not to, then it should not take shelter under the pretext that the earlier one was the first and last and no more for the rest, many administrators observed.
