MARGAO
I-League club Churchill Brothers have taken a major hit after being slapped with a ban on the registration of new players by FIFA for failure to comply with their financial obligations.
The ban restricts the Red Machines from registering new players at the national level from the upcoming transfer window. The FIFA player status committee was organised to discuss the matter. The club has been handed the ban due to the non-payment of their player wages. Churchill Brothers didn’t pay the remaining salary to former player Samuel Shadap who complained to the football governing body.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, club owner Churchill Alemao said that the players did not play for 15 matches and said if FIFA asked him to pay, he has no problems settling the unpaid salaries. "Churchill Brothers too made the blunder by not playing ex-defender Samuel Shadap's salary and he approached the committee for help as well, going with the law," Alemao said.
Alemao insisted the club have taken steps to settle the issue once FIFA decided and the ban will be lifted once they received the official communication after the confirmation from FIFA regarding it.
"Like most football clubs in India, Churchill Brothers is running the club not to make a profit but because of passion for football. I spent crores of rupees to run the club and generate income for the family and also hike the salary of the players," said Alemao.
Alemao took a dig at Curtorim MLA Reginlado Lourenco, who raised the issue of the transfer ban in the State Assembly. "Lourenco has never kicked a football and shouldn't have raised the issue about our club in the August house," Alemao said.
CHURCHILL 'MISMANAGED'
Meanwhile, Goa Football Association (GFA) president Caitanno Fernandes while commenting on the development said that if the club can't pay the salaries to its players despite getting funds from the State government, it is likely that Churchill Brothers is "mismanaged".
"I am astonished that Churchill Alemao has said he has got no funds to pay player salaries despite getting Rs nine crore from the State government and Rs 1.92 crore from the Goa Football Development Council in the last three years. Maybe his club is mismanaged. I have turned around the GFA in seven months, I can help Churchill Brothers to manage their club professionally," Fernandes said.
