Report: Kerala Blasters to pay hefty fine after losing walkout CAS case

Kerala Blasters under Ivan Vukomanovic walked off the pitch after Sunil Chhetri scored from a controversial free kick.

Kerala Blasters have faced a major blow in their hopes to get rid of penalties lodged against them for their infamous walkout in the Indian Super League (ISL) playoff game against Bengaluru FC last season.

The Kerala players, encouraged by head coach Ivan Vukomanovic, made an unprecedented decision to leave the field of play after Sunil Chhetri scored a controversial free-kick goal in extra-time. Despite pleas from ISL officials, the players or coach refused to budge and were forced to forfeit the game.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF)’s Disciplinary Committee brought down the hammer for the actions. Vukomanovic was given a 10-match suspension for the same and forced to pay a fine, while the Blasters as a club were told to pay a fine of ₹4 crores. They decided to appeal the decision and take it right to the highest sporting judicial system, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS).

However, according to the Times Of India, the Blasters have now lost their appeal to the CAS and have been told to pay the fine to the AIFF. The club has been told to pay the fine within the next two weeks and also pay the AIFF additional legal fees incurred while fighting the case in the international judiciary system.

In their defence, the Blasters argued that the club couldn’t legally be handed such a severe penalty because the ethics rules of the ISL and AIFF didn’t allow the reversal of the boycott in that game.

However, the match officials for the game claimed in their reports that they had tried approaching Vukomanovic about the incident to make him see reason.

Referee Crystal John had told the Kerala Blasters team manager Manish Kochar that he’d be willing to speak with the head coach on the touchline if he wanted. The match commissioner, Amit Dharap had also written in his report about going to meet Vukomanovic after the game to tell him of potential repercussions for the walkout.

Despite appealing to the CAS, their appeals committee felt that the fine was appropriate for abandoning the game. They also noted that there was no reason to reduce the amount of the fine after taking into account the circumstances that led to it.

On AIFF prevailing on this legal case, a source close to the matter told TOI, “The AIFF always had a strong case and this has now been reflected in the decision of CAS, which is the world’s premier forum for resolving sporting disputes.”

With the CAS now rejecting their appeals, the ISL heavyweights have no more options to appeal the case and try to further drag down this matter. They will now have to pay the fine soon or possibly risk even heavier punishments from the AIFF going forward. It now remains to be seen how the Blasters can conjure up the major funds as the ISL 2023-24 season comes to an end.

Kerala Blasters are very close to qualifying for the ISL playoffs for the third straight season under Vukomanovic. Under these circumstances when the team is in good shape and a great morale, this news comes as a shock for the team. They need five more points to secure a place in the playoffs and are set to host a high-flying Mohun Bagan side at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi on Wednesday.

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