Salgaocar denied play-off tie for AFC Champions League

TEAM HERALD

sports@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: Salgaocar have been deprived of their rightful  place for the play-off for a place in AFC Champions League as the entry did not reach the Kuala Lumpur headquarters on time.

“We were told by AFC Competitions Director, P Steve that the documents pertaining to the club were not received from the member association. With the deadline over, the slot was lost and once again there will be no Indian team to qualify for the prestigious league,” stated Abhijit Patil, Media-cum-Marketing Officer of Salgaocar.

Abhijit and Sanjiv Nagvekar attended the AFC workshop  for qualifying teams in Kuala Lumpur where the matter  was raised. Abhijit did not mention the name, but it was obviously it was the AIFF which was being referred to.

The question was raised by Salgaocar secretary RAJ Gomes with Roma Khanna, AIFF’s Club Licensing Manager today who clarified that the AIFF did send the entry to AFC and that the matter was not being handled by her. So the question remains – why did Salgaocar not get a chance for the play-off, like Dempo and Churchill Bros got in the past? Some felt that the talk doing the rounds in New Delhi was about licensing criteria, which could not be ascertained.

Meanwhile, Salgaocar will play in AFC Cup, with the first match against a Jordan team slated for March 7 in Jordan. The return match will be in Goa on March 21. The second match will be on April 4 in Oman with the return match slated for April 10 in Goa.

The fourth slot in the group is yet to be filled up.