MARGAO
The Arbitration Tribunal has directed the Goa Football Association (GFA) to obtain approval from its General Body for the draft inter-village tournament rules that were proposed to be implemented in January 2025.
The directive came while hearing an appeal filed by Mandopa Sporting and other clubs. The Tribunal emphasised that the General Body remains the supreme authority within the association, and therefore, the rules—though previously discussed during last season’s General Body meeting and in follow-up discussions with affected clubs and the GFA Executive Committee—must be formally ratified by the General Body.
It may be recalled that in July last year, a special Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) had finalised new rules for private inter-village football tournaments. However, key issues related to village clusters remained unresolved. The General Body had then instructed the Executive Committee to hold discussions with the concerned clubs and finalise the cluster arrangements. Despite multiple meetings, no consensus was reached, and the clubs eventually deferred the matter to the GFA Executive Committee, which proceeded to draft the clusters.
These draft clusters, however, now require the formal approval of the General Body as per the Tribunal’s ruling.
Meanwhile, the Tribunal declined to entertain the intervention filed by Saligao United, represented by Advocate Dominic Pereira, stating that the matter fell beyond its jurisdiction.
