Team Herald
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PANJIM: Churchill Brothers Football Club owner Churchill Alemao on Sunday alleged that, of late, it appears as though tournaments such as the I-League are being rigged, so that results favour one particular team.
“The referees’ decisions in so many games have gone against my team (Churchill Brothers FC) and other teams just to push a particular team,” he cryptically stated after his team was held to a 1-1 draw in the added-on time.
“It looks as though certain sections of the All India Football Federation are hell bent in ensuring that my team does not become the champions. What transpired on Sunday in our match against Sreenidhi Deccan FC was simply baffling.
We led 1-0 with 90 minutes having been played. Referee Crystal John, no newcomer to controversy, added seven more minutes. But even after nine minutes of added-on time was played, he did not blow the final whistle despite looking at his watch too after eight minutes had been played and the fourth official telling our head coach that the final kick of the match was after we got the free-kick. The referee then awarded a dubious penalty when the player was clearly offside. The match ended 1-1 and we lost two more precious points thanks to Crystal John’s crystal clear blunders,” Churchill rebuked.
He further alleged that it appears as though he was hell bent on preventing us from gaining three full points and increasing the lead at the top of the table so that teams below us at No. 2 and No. 3 can benefit in the end. If you recall, during the Indian Super League match between Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters FC, Crystal John awarded a free-kick to BFC and asked Sunil Chhetri to wait for his whistle. But Chhetri took the award and scored even before Kerala Blasters had formed a wall. Kerala Blasters coach Ivan Vukomanović walked out with his team. The team and the coach were later heavily fined.
Why should the AIFF persist with such referees and spoil the clubs and maybe the entire tournament time and again?, Churchill asked.
“The entire country is aware of my love and passion for football. I have been running my club Churchill Brothers Football Club for the past four decades and maintaining it at the highest levels of the game. I have been spending crores of rupees from my own resources thereby helping to generate employment and earning opportunities for hundreds of footballers, coaches and other necessary staff from Goa, other parts of the country and also from many nations abroad. But the manner in which football is being administered in the country is very disheartening. If you recall, sometime back I had even spoken about closing down my club. It has become so frustrating.”
“I request the media to kindly look into various issues connected with the match and the I-League itself so that corrective measures are adopted. If not, I would have to once again consider withdrawing my club from the I-League. But remember one thing when God is with us nobody can be against us and we have full faith in Almighty God that nobody can take the title away from us,” Churchill concluded.