Delhi High Court orders AIFF’s PSC to rehear Anwar Ali case

Published at :September 13, 2024 at 4:10 PM

Modified at :September 13, 2024 at 11:17 PM

PSC had delivered its final verdict on 10 September 2024.

East Bengal and Delhi FC have filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court, challenging the AIFF’s Players’ Status Committee (PSC) decision on 10 September 2024.

The PSC’s final ruling stated, “Anwar Ali will serve a four-month sporting ban, while East Bengal and Delhi FC will face two transfer window bans, starting from the January transfer window. Additionally, all three parties—Anwar Ali, Delhi FC and East Bengal—must pay Rs 12.90 crores in compensation to Mohun Bagan.”

The Delhi High Court heard the matter on 13 September 2024 and directed the AIFF’s PSC to rehear the case tomorrow and issue a detailed decision with proper grounds. The court also ruled that the NOC granted to Anwar Ali, allowing him to complete his move to East Bengal, is invalid in light of the PSC’s decision.

BIG BREAKING: As per the Honourable Delhi High Court, the NOC given to Anwar Ali by AIFF's PSC does not stand alongside the final decision. The PSC will hear the case again tomorrow and has been asked to provide a detailed order with the grounds. #IndianFootball #ISL @KhelNow
— Ashish Negi (@7negiashish) September 13, 2024

The court questioned the AIFF’s lawyer about the grounds for the PSC’s decision. The lawyer admitted that the grounds had not been provided yet, prompting the court to ask how a decision was delivered without a clear explanation. Consequently, the court instructed all parties that the PSC must rehear the case and issue a new final verdict with a detailed explanation of the grounds.

“In FIFA law, grounds are typically provided later, and historically, AIFF PSC’s decisions have followed the same pattern. AIFF could have presented this argument more effectively,” said a source familiar with the matter.

On July 11, 2024, Anwar Ali signed a five-year player agreement with East Bengal. Khel Now also previously exclusively reported that Ali would receive Rs 24 crores as his salary over the five years, including Rs 8.5 crores in loyalty bonuses.

“The Court is of the opinion that as per the doctrine of merger, the interim orders stood merged with the impugned order. Accordingly, since the impugned order is being withdrawn and the matter has to be decided afresh, the interim orders cannot survive,” the honourable Delhi High Court in the order.

“The Court has not examined the merits of the case. All rights and contentions of the parties are left open.” added the honourable Delhi High Court.

Public Timeline of the Anwar Ali Transfer Saga:

July 9: Unilateral contract termination by Anwar Ali
July 10: Anwar Ali requests AIFF to register him back with Delhi FC
July 12: Mohun Bagan requests Anwar to rejoin the squad by July 19
July 17: Anwar pleads his case before the PSC
July 19: Anwar does not join Mohun Bagan’s training
August 2: Case listed before AIFF PSC
August 3: PSC interim order declares the loan terminated “without just cause”
August 10: Hearing to obtain NOC from the PSC
August 11: AIFF PSC grants NOC to Anwar, warning him to proceed at his own risk pending the final decision
August 12: East Bengal registers Anwar Ali on a five-year deal
August 23: Final hearing
September 10: Final decision by the PSC
September 13: Delhi High Court orders rehearing

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