Kerala Blasters appeal to CAS against AIFF sanctions

The club and coach were supposed to pay their fines within two weeks of the AIFF disciplinary committee's notice.

In a bold move, Kerala Blasters FC has decided to contest the penalties imposed on them by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) following their withdrawal from a crucial match against Bengaluru FC. The club, facing a payment deadline for the fine, has turned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to appeal the sanctions.

The initial blow came when the AIFF's disciplinary committee slapped Kerala Blasters with a hefty fine of Rs. 4 crore, emphasizing that abandoning a match and tarnishing its reputation were completely unacceptable. Such actions were seen as a breach of the fundamental principles of fair play, respect, and integrity that lie at the core of sportsmanship.

Ivan Vukomanovic, the coach behind Kerala Blasters' walkout at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, received severe punishment. He was handed a 10-game ban along with a fine of Rs. 5 lakh. Vukomanovic's move was fuelled by his belief in an unjust decision leading to a goal by Sunil Chhetri during extra-time.

Undeterred by the initial setback, Kerala Blasters appealed the decision. However, their hopes were dashed when the AIFF appeals committee rejected their appeal earlier this month. On June 2, the committee issued an order instructing the club to settle the fine within a two-week timeframe.

Now, news has emerged that Kerala Blasters have taken their case to CAS. According to Times of India, the club still has a window of opportunity to submit a detailed appeal, which is expected to be completed within the next one or two weeks.

At present, the exact grounds on which Kerala Blasters have based their appeal to CAS remain undisclosed. Nevertheless, in their previous arguments before the committees, the club contended that such severe punishments should not have been imposed upon them. They claimed that the ethics regulations of the AIFF and the Indian Super League (ISL) did not authorize the management to approach the opposing team to reconsider their decision to boycott.

The appeal committee acknowledged that a fine of Rs. 4 crore was a suitable penalty for the match abandonment. However, they took issue with the disciplinary committee's view that the case warranted the maximum penalty of Rs. 6 crores. The appeal committee believed that the highest penalty should be reserved for extraordinary cases involving additional serious violations of the Code that accompanied the act of abandonment. Consequently, they found no grounds to increase or decrease the Rs. 4 crore penalty.

Additionally, the appeal committee highlighted that the Code did not mandate public apologies or modifications to fines based on such apologies. They stressed that while public apologies could be seen as commendable when addressing misconduct, they should not influence the decision-making process. The committee insisted that the decision must strictly adhere to the provisions of the Code. However, it was noted that repeated instances of inappropriate behavior could be taken into account in future disciplinary proceedings involving the same club or individuals.

The order issued by the appeal committee was signed by Chairperson Akshay Jaitly, deputy chairperson Vrinda Bhandari, and NP Pradeep, as reported by TOI.