AIFF’s proposed Centralised Players Registration System
JOVITO LOPES
PANJIM: Goan football players will have to contribute Rs 1,08,81,900.00 should the AIFF enforce the unilateral Centralised Players Registration System for the 2013-14 season, an astonishing figure, stated former GFA secretary and present Executive Committee member, Savio Messias, Sunday. It will come into effect from July 15.
Savio has been the lone voice in GFA fighting against the obviously, unjust introduction of the players registration fees via the AIFF’s Emergency Committee as all the clubs are facing a severe financial crisis, like their counterparts in the rest of India. “Some of our rural clubs from the villages have already been hit hard financially, finding it extremely difficult to sustain their teams and the fee structure as suggested by the AIFF, which is on an extremely steeper side, will only aggravate their economic viability and such threatening their very existence,” pointed out Savio, whose commitment and devotion to Goan football, nay his passion for the official game of Goa, is sublime. The only other name which fits in that category is Alberto Colaco, ex-AIFF general secretary.
Savio has always been known for his openness, forthright approach, calling a spade a spade and hence he is classified as an outcast in our system which is by and large hypocritical and hence he is sidelined. Certainly, he does not know the art of diplomacy. In any case, he needs to be saluted for he had the guts to take up a genuine cause for the sake of Goan clubs and players and voice his protest when those whose were duty-bound to present the Goan cause were sleeping or quietly acquiescing perhaps for fear of being labelled anti-establishment much more so when powerful politicians are at the helm of affairs and dictating terms without taking the stakeholders into confidence. That the GFA has now decided to place the issue before the clubs at the Annual General Body Meeting on July 28 in Panjim is an obvious indication to that effect. Pucca diplomacy.
Savio took time off his tourism business schedule to do the maths and following are the figures based on players registered with the GFA for the season 2012-13.
Foreign players Rs 15,000 x 20 = Rs 3,00,000. I-League players Rs 10,000 x 112 = Rs 11,20,000. 2nd division I-League Rs 5,000 x 25 = Rs 1,25,000. Pro League & First Div Rs.5,000 x 451 = Rs 22,55,000 (State league). Second Div and Third Div Rs. 2,000 x 2,991 = Rs 59,82,000 (State association). Age group teams Rs 100 x 2199 = Rs 2,19,900 (academy players). Inter-village Rs. 500 x 4,000 = Rs 20,00,000 (district players).
Savio explained that Goa has over 10,000 inter-village players registered with the GFA and considering that about 3,500 of them are already registered with clubs and around 2,500 have retired, it is felt that just 4,000 players will come under the inter-village category which comes under the district players classification.
“The total payment to be made to the AIFF would be a staggering amount of over Rs 1 crore, which is probably twice the budget of the GFA,” remarked Savio.
“Never-the-less, the proposed registration system has an advantage for the age-group players as it would reduce the rampant age-cheating, provided the system is full proof. To develop a full proof system the GFA should be taken into confidence as it is the only State in the country which has a software for registering players which has been tested and has survived various tests and checks,” voiced Savio.
With the new system, the GFA would of course also stand to benefit as it would get Rs 50 lakh back for developmental work, but it is the AIFF which is badly needing big revenues to carry on its programmes and hence are in need of big money. It has been estimated that the AIFF would be able to collect about Rs 70 to 80 crore overall if the scheme is implemented so as to generate a unique ID for all players from all State associations.
The AFC also has a system of registration of players and officials in place, but it does not charge fees. Undoubtedly, it is good to have a data base and the players and officials given a unique identification number for record purpose. The GFA registers the players but does not charge fees.
There is a feeling that the AIFF is running low on finances with the result that the National women’s championship has not been held for the past two years, with the AIFF website offering the following comment: “There are big plans in the near future for women’s football in the country.” So also, the National U-19 championship has not been held thus affecting the income of everyone in the form of grants.
The AIFF has now cut down on the expenditure on I-League (Rs 10 lakh per team) to tide over the problem of dwindling finances. Correspondingly, one expected there would be cuts on the large staff salaries component much more so that general secretary Kushal Das has a financial management background and ought to have displayed sharp financial acumen and fiscal control, but he sought the soft option.
The IFA (Bengal) has already lodged its protest against the steep registration fees with the Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, Kerala associations expected to do likewise. Generally, it is the parent body that provided finances or grants to the affiliated units, but the AIFF thinks the other way round. Worse still, it collects your own money and gives part of it back to you. It is the same logic that perhaps gives India the dismal FIFA ranking of 146 among 206 nations.
