Last week the AIFF made public a decision by FIFA to impose a ban on Goan Football Club Churchill Brothers on registering new players after failing to pay the salary of Senegalese striker Abdoulaye Sane. The ban will mean the club cannot register new players and will have to make do with its existing players for the upcoming season and perhaps even longer if the disputes between the club and the player are not resolved.
The decision has shone the spotlight on the functioning of the lone Goan club to be participating in the I-league, now relegated to the second tier of Indian football and the only top-level football club to be receiving grants from the State government.
Since the year 2017-18, the Club has received nearly Rs 17 crore in grants from the Goa government a bulk of which (Rs 15 crore) was given by the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs under a specially devised scheme. Under the scheme, the club was getting between Rs 3-4 crore per year for the past five years save for one year in between due to Covid. Besides that, the club has also received money from the GFDC over a similar period for various football training and activities that they conduct.
The question then is, why does the club, which is the only one to receive grants from the government unable to pay the salaries of players? So far one player has filed a complaint against the club for non-payment of dues, but there could be others.
The head honcho of the club Churchill Alemao sought to defend himself saying that he is committed to Goan football and that he has kept the flag flying high when other clubs -- in reference to Dempo Sports Club and Salgaocar FC -- withdrew from the competition. He termed the dispute with the player as ‘complications’ and expressed confidence that it will be resolved quickly.
However, as a club that is a recipient of State funding, it needs to be held to a different standard than other clubs that are privately funded. Questions are being asked why the funds were released to the club when a precondition for the funds being released was that at least 75% of the players on the rolls needed to be of Goan origin. By the government’s own admission, the club has not “wholly met” the condition of at least 75% of players being of Goan origin.
There is no doubt about Alemao’s commitment and association with the sport in the bygone years when Goa’s frontline clubs were basking in football glory. This is not about questioning that or eroding the goodwill the club and Alemao have earned over decades. We have a situation now where taxpayer’s money is involved and hence the government must seek answers and accountability from the club and check for irregularities and misuse of funds. Currently, there seems to be no effort towards that end. No one should be given a free pass because they pledge support to the ruling dispensation.
