Ball brews trouble as Churchill back out

As things stand, Churchill have thus given East Bengal a walk-over and stand to be penalised by being banned for the next match for refusing to play today. The final decision will be taken by the AIFF based on Match Commissioner Dilip Sen’s report. Referee K Shankar of Tamil Nadu waited for 50 minutes as officials from various sectors tried to persuade Churchill to change their mind, before blowing the whistle. Talking to reporters later, Shankar said that he had waited as long he could before calling the game off.

An agitated Amal Dutta blamed the organisers — Indian Football Association for the fiasco which is without precedence. No one could recall a side conceding a walk-over after entering the playing area. Rather, the Churchill players were even warming up for the match before they were ordered out by the coach.

“In Delhi (against JCT), we were forced to play with Umbro ball as that was the official ball,” Dutta said. “Even All India Football Federation president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi had clearly said that Umbro balls will be used in all matches. How can I suddenly accept another ball, that too with just 10 minutes notice.” Dutta claimed that Umbro balls had not been their choice in the first place as they were not used to them. However, their protests were brushed aside in Delhi, forcing them to buy and practice with Umbro. Explaining his stand, Dutta said that playing with different balls effect the performance adversely, a fact later agreed by East Bengal technical director PK Banerjee. However, Dutta admitted that nowhere in the National League rules was it mentioned that only Umbro balls will be used.

The main goof-up, it appears, was on the organisers’ part who failed to hold the manager’s meeting the previous day. In these meetings, all matters regarding the ball, jerseys and playing conditions are settled. However, no such meeting was held prior to this match as `the referee arrived late’, according to IFA. Referee Shankar had indeed arrived late, after 11 pm on Thursday. Shankar pleaded that he had received intimation about supervising this match only on December 31 and unavailability of seats on flights prevented him from reaching the city earlier. The IFA could not give a convincing answer when asked why they did not hold the meeting today morning.

It is learnt that the manager and technical director of Churchill Brothers, Alex Rebello and Almado Colaso wanted to consult the club’s office in Goa before taking a decision, but non-availability of telephones in the stadium prevented them from doing so. An IFA official accused Dutta of causing the fiasco. “Although the manager and the TD wanted to play, the coach would not relent,” he said. Dutta, however, maintained that he had only suggested that they refuse to play but the final decision was the manager’s. Dutta took the opportunity to lash out at the IFA, calling them inefficient and unfit to conduct National League. He added that the whole thing was “premeditated, preplanned and might have been a deliberate attempt to malign me.”

The veteran coch, who has always been at the centre of controversy, was recently sacked from Mohun Bagan for `fixing a match with Churchill in Rovers Cup.