PANAJI
Chairperson of the AIFF Women's Committee Valanka Alemao has responded firmly to accusations leveled against her by Caitano Fernandes, President of the Goa Football Association (GFA). In a direct retort, Valanka urged Caitano to refrain from politicising sensitive matters involving women.
Addressing Caitano's allegations, Valanka challenged him to provide evidence of her instructing the players to withdraw their complaint against AIFF ex-committee member Deepak Sharma, the accused individual. This comes after Caitano accused Valanka of pressuring the alleged victim to abstain from filing a complaint against Sharma.
Sharma was arrested by the Goa police on March 30 in connection with the alleged physical assault of two women players. The incident prompted swift action from GFA President Caitano Fernandes, who assisted the victims in filing a complaint at the Mapusa police station.
Valanka's assertive response underscores her commitment to transparency and justice in addressing allegations of misconduct within women's football. Her stance signals a resolute stand against any attempts to undermine the integrity of the investigation or manipulate the situation for personal or political gain.
When the GFA President was contacted to comment on the case filed by Alemao, he said, "I don’t want comment anything on this, people of Goa and India know everything." Sharma's arrest follows a joint complaint lodged by two women footballers from Khad FC, alleging that he physically assaulted them in their hotel room during the ongoing Indian Women’s League 2 in Goa.
