IFA suspends two Kolkata clubs, hands suspensions to coaches for harassing female footballers

IFA secretary Anirban Dutta confirmed all decisions for the strict suspensions were taken after discussions with players, the match referees, and the match commissioner.

The Indian Football Association (IFA) has taken stern action against some major issues persisting in the Kolkata football scene. The IFA’s disciplinary committee recently held a meeting where they discussed the issues concerning some controversial aspects that transpired in the Calcutta Football League and the Kanyashree Cup.

The first issue that was discussed in the meeting was complaints regarding Khidderpore SC. A complaint had been raised that last season, the Kolkata club had played one match without having qualified coaches in their dugout. It was alleged that their head coach did not have the viable licenses required to coach in a CFL match and hence Khidderpore SC has been hit with a 50,000 RS fine for their mistake.

However, a more persisting controversy that the disciplinary committee discussed was alleged a match-fixing conspiracy surrounding a CFL match between Tollygunge Agragami and Peerless SC last season. The league had received complaints that the game between these two sides – which Peerless won by a 1-0 margin – had some kind of match-fixing involved. As a result, the IFA has now suspended both the Kolkata club and handed over the case to the Kolkata police to investigate the matter – before they can take further action.

With the 2024 CFL Premier Division campaign set to start in June, IFA secretary Anirban Dutta has claimed that they are ready to commence the campaign without the two clubs if they can’t clear their allegations by then. Tollygunge Agragami had finished in 9th place in Group A of the CFL Premier Division last season, while Peerless finished in sixth place.

However, the most shocking controversy that the IFA had to discuss in their meetings was one that involved harassment of female footballers. This was concerning the shocking scenes that transpired in a Kanyashree Cup match between GC Memorial and Dipti Sangha at the Uluberia Stadium recently.

After the end of the game, some female footballers were harassed and intimidated by some coaches and club representatives. As a result, the IFA has decided to suspend GC Memorial for one year for seemingly instigating the issues.

Moreover, GC Memorial’s head coach Aroop Ghosh has been handed a five-year suspension alongside their technical director Dipakar Bose. Dipti Sangha’s coach Partha Ghosh has also been handed a two-year suspension for his actions in the post-match scuffles.

Dutta has confirmed that the decisions for these strict suspensions were only taken after talking with the players, the match referees, and the match commissioner to confirm that these events took place.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.