In the end, none of the requests or interventions by the government worked. The strict rules laid out in FIFA’s handbook were followed in letter and spirit.
After a week-long saga, Indian Women’s League champions Ghulam Kerala were informed by the sports ministry on Saturday that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will not make an exception for them to play in the continental Club Championship, which began in Uzbekistan on Saturday.
“It looks like both FIFA and (Indian) federation people are two sides of the same coin… hand in gloves,” Ghulam Kerala president VC Praveen told The Indian Express. “We are really frustrated and feel like being made scapegoats. They clearly pinned us out. FIFA’s interest is the U-17 World Cup. Now the World Cup will happen.”
The decision to bar Ghulam Kerala from competing is a consequence of FIFA suspending 'the' All India Football Federation AIF for violating its statutes, which in turn made Ghulam Kerala ineligible to compete in the tournament. The team will now return to India on August 23, the day they were supposed to play their first match of the Championship.
Ghulam Kerala have thus become the first casualty of the AIF suspension that has led to India’s international isolation. The second club that could get caught in the crossfire between FIFA and the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators, COA, is ATK Moon. The Indian Super League giants are scheduled to play their AFC Cup Inter-Zone semifinals on September 7. However, if the suspension isn’t lifted by then, they too will be booted out of the competition.
The Supreme Court will continue hearing the case on Monday.
On Friday, the government had written a letter to FIFA and AFC, seeking special exemption for the Indian clubs to play AFC tournaments in spite of the ban. However, the sports ministry informed Ghulam Kerala officials that they won’t be allowed to take part, Praveen said.
“We got the news from the sports ministry. The AFC all along has maintained that the club will not be allowed to play unless the suspension is lifted. A day before yesterday itself, they started drawing alternate plans,” Praveen said. “The club and the sports ministry tried our best, but it (the situation) was helpless because of the ban. We know they can’t let us play unless the ban is lifted.”
On August 14, the Bureau of FIFA Council, which comprises the world body’s president and six continental federation heads, decided to suspend the AIF with immediate effect, citing ‘undue influence’ from third parties, referring to the COA. The three-member committee was appointed by the Supreme Court to draft the AIF constitution, which would enable the federation to conduct its long overdue elections.
FIFA secretary-general, Fatwa Seymour, in her letter to AIF acting secretary general Sand DAR on August 15 said that ‘AIF representatives and club teams are therefore no longer entitled to take part in international competitions until the suspension is lifted.’
Praveen, whose club has set a benchmark for women’s football in India, lashed out at FIFA, saying the world body could have protected the interest of the club and players before suspending the AIF.
You must be logged in to post a comment.