Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: FC Goa has appealed before the ISL Appeals Committee on Sunday in protest against the Rs 11 crore fine imposed on the club, a ban on two of its co-owners from the stadium and for docking 15 points from the team in the next Indian Super League season.
The five-member Regulatory Commission of Indian Super League (ISL) that met in Mumbai recently pronounced its final order, where FC Goa were found in breach of ISL regulations, code of conduct bringing disrepute to the league, following the December 20, final.
In its appeal, FC Goa’s counsel stated that the order is perverse, unlawful and in complete violation of principles of natural justice.
“On April 30, FC Goa has challenged the jurisdiction of the ISL Regulatory Commission and prayed that the ISL Regulatory Commission adjourn the hearing of the complaints before it sine die and maintain status quo until the All India Football Federation Appeal Committee decides the issue of double jeopardy and jurisdiction,” the appeal mentioned.
This appeal was made since the AIFF Disciplinary Committee had on January 25, 2016 ruled that AIFF Disciplinary Committee had exclusive jurisdiction over all matters relating to discipline under AIFF Disciplinary Code, including those relating to the Indian Super League.
“Further, on March 31, 2016 on the issue of FC Goa’s fine of Rs 50 lakh, the AIFF Appeal Committee felt that it needs further clarification on the issue of double jeopardy and jurisdiction of ISL over this matter and the case was deferred for hearing to a later date. The committee had, in the meanwhile, requested both AIFF and ISL to maintain status quo in the matter of hearing of the proceeding,” it stated.
On May 3, 2016, a hearing on the same was held but no arguments were made on the merits of the matter by either parties. FC Goa had submitted that they will be filing the appeal “under protest and without prejudice to their rights to contend that Regulatory Commission of Indian Super League has no jurisdiction and that in any event cannot proceed with any hearing in the matters before it”.
Despite the matter not being argued on merits, the ISL Regulatory Commission, shockingly, on May 5, 2016 passed the impugned order deciding the matters before the commission even on merits of the dispute, even though the hearings on merits have not been concluded.
FC Goa stated that order was neither correctly recorded nor considered the jurisdictional issues that were raised by the club. “This order is perverse, unlawful and deserves to be set aside.”
“The order has wrongly recorded that FC Goa has mixed up the issue of double jeopardy and jurisdiction. In the application dated April 30, 2016 filed before the ISL Regulatory Commission, the issue of double jeopardy is independent and an alternate ground to jurisdiction. This clearly shows the lack of understanding of the case on the part of the ISL Regulatory Commission.”
In separate appeals filed by co-owners, Dattaraj Salgaocar and Shrinivas Dempo, it has been stated that they were not a party before the commission, nor were they called upon to appear in the hearing of the complaints.
