PANJIM: Churchill Alemao, president of the Goa Football Association (GFA), spoke his mind on the controversy raging over the status of the I-League which at the moment plays second fiddle to the Indian Super League (ISL).
“As president of the GFA, my duty is to protect the interests of Goan football. I did just that by pointing out that the definition of senior-most league in the All India Football Federation constitution should remain the way the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has drafted it (I-League being the top competition),” he said on Wednesday.
Alemao is irked by the non-implementation of promotion and relegation by the ISL. “The non-implementation of promotion and relegation in the top tier league has harmed Goan football,” he said.
The GFA president expressed his views on the eve of the Supreme Court hearing of intervention applications by both Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the AIFF marketing partners who run the ISL and and several state associations. The bone of contention being which should be the country’s top league.
“A league that does not have promotion/relegation or is not managed by the federation cannot do football any good. All over the world, the leagues have the system of promotion/relegation. Look at all the recent World champions like Brazil, Italy, France, and Spain – they all have relegation and promotion in their league system.
“As a matter of record way back in 2016 when there was lack of a road map for Indian football , three of Goa’s top clubs – Salgaocar FC, Dempo Sports Club and Sporting Clube de Goa – opted out of the I-League in protest that there is no future for I-League Clubs. This was a big blow to Goan football and we have not recovered from it,” Alemao lamented.
He reflected on the state of Goan football. “At the moment football in the state is a direct reflection of faulty decisions that the AIFF took in the past to make ISL the top tier without promotion and relegation.
“Since there was no promotion and relegation in the top-tier, Goa’s top clubs had to withdraw and we are seeing Goan football suffer for the last six years,” he said.
Alemao was quoted by a section of the press recently to have disagreed with the ISL being given status of the country’s top league. Members of the GFA Executive Committee, however, went on record saying that his statement was his personal opinion and was done without the consent of the committee.
Alemao countered their contention by citing the case of Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India and now the Administrator for AIFF, whose tweet invited suggestions from everyone, including fans, regarding the draft Constitution.
“Everyone was free to send their suggestions, so why didn’t the members discuss this in the meeting or send suggestions to the CoA themselves? Don’t they aspire to do something good for Goan and Indian football?
“Why is it that only when I made suggestions, do they have problems?”, he retorted.
Alemao pointed out that the I-League has been in existence before the ISL but has been unfairly treated, mentioning the cost and sacrifice for football he has endured over decades. “I have spent my personal wealth to keep my own football club, Churchill Brothers FC, going,” he said.
