MDFA receives backlash from clubs after decision to call off league

Owners of multiple Elite Division clubs raised their voice against the matter.

Clubs contesting in the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) Elite Division have raised questions about the committee’s decision to call off the league on Sunday. In a teleconference, the committee decided to call off the league since the campaign hadn’t been concluded and there wasn’t a clear winner when the outbreak of COVID-19 forced it to come to a halt.

At that point, Kenkre FC found themselves atop the points table with a tally of 24 points across 11 matches out of their 13 fixtures. On the other hand, Karnataka Sporting Association were just a point behind them with 23 points in second position, with three games left to play. PIFA Colaba had 22 points, having played 10 out of their 13 games.

the clubs have sent a letter to MDFA secretary Sudhakar Rane, requesting him to consider freezing the standings rather than bringing the curtains down on the league. Kenkre manager Joshua Lewis observed that calling off the league would subsequently prevent teams from qualifying for the second division I-League, which could further pose financial difficulties for the sides.

"We put in a lot of hard work. The league was almost over. We just had two games remaining. Teams play in the competition to qualify for the national leagues. We can't be financially stable by just playing in a city league,” Lewis admitted to The Times of India.

AIFF executive committee member and PIFA Colaba co-owner Anjali Shah further revealed that the committee came to this decision without even discussing it with the teams in the top four. "If you are taking such a big decision to cancel the league, shouldn't the team owners have a say in it? The committee should've ideally had a meeting with the teams before reaching any decision. After all, it is teams that make the league."

Furthermore, Rane said that he has read the letter and he will discuss the matter with the committee before adding that the decisions concerning relegation and promotion haven’t been taken yet. "I have verbally discussed the matter with Western India Football Association (WIFA) secretary Souter Vaz, who is also the Vice President of the MDFA. He said he will ask the AIFF for advice on the matter and get back. We will then have another teleconference. We haven't decided about promotion and relegation anyway.”

Apart from calling off the campaign, the committee also decided to donate the entire prize money purse to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The decision ruffled a few feathers as most of the teams aren’t financially stable and they weren’t even consulted on yet another important decision by the committee.

"It's great that the committee thinks it's doing something noble by donating their prize money. That would be great if the teams were financially independent. Over here, every team runs into a loss. We don't mind donating a part of the purse, but we feel that the committee should've divided the money among the top FOUR teams," a team owner remarked on the condition of anonymity.

Lastly, at the meeting, MDFA president Aaditya Thackeray reportedly suggested that the money be divided among the sides considering their financial troubles. However, the committee opted against that decision instead suggesting that donating the money would be a better choice during this period.