Lajong in trouble?
Somnath_Sengupta
3 Points
Check this article from OHeraldO
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PANAJI: Vasco Sports Club have filed a suit in a local court against the All India Football Federation and Shillong Lajong Football Club, seeking the latter's disqualification from the I-League which, crucially, kicks off on Saturday. Vasco have prayed that the AIFF disqualify Lajong from the I-League for fielding an ineligible player in the Second Division ILeague qualifiers and instead replace them with Vasco.
Vasco have contended in the appeal that Lajong were found to have fielded an ineligible player Seikhohao Tuboi against them in the qualifiers, which Vasco lost 1-2, and they deserve to be awarded three points.
Article IV of the Second Division I-League regulations, point 3 states, "any team fielding an ineligible player shall be scratched from the competition. The match shall be forfeited and the opponents shall be declared winners by a three (3)-goal difference and three (3) points shall be awarded to them."
"We have prayed that the match be allotted to us. The AIFF is free to go ahead with the I-League but without Lajong," a senior Vasco official told TOI on Thursday. The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Vasco has now served notices on AIFF, Shillong Lajong and Goa Football Association and summoned all of them "to appear in the court in person, or by a pleader duly instructed, and able to answer all material questions relating to the suit, on October 20, 2011, at 10am." They have also been directed to file a written statement of their defence within 30 days from the receipt of the summons.
According to Vasco sources, the club has cited two instances when a team found guilty of fielding an ineligible player has been either penalized by deduction of points or scratched from the tournament. The first instance is last year's First Division League in Goa where the GFA deducted three points from St. Cruz Club of Cavelossim for fielding a player who had been booked twice in previous games.
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"You should have been doing that before coming to the court. You have wasted my entire morning session as I had set aside everything to hear this case," Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC, Vasco) Edgar Fernandes told Vasco Sports Club's legal counsel when they told the court they were not pressing for an injunction, restraining Shillong Lajong Football Club from participating in the I-League.
Vasco's flip-flop on Friday morning caught everyone by surprise especially since just a day earlier the club seemed to be going all out to restrain the All India Football Federation (AIFF) from conducting the I-League, starting Saturday, if Lajong were also involved.
"(Lajong FC general secretary) Larsing Ming showed us all the documents and we are convinced that they are not at fault. We do not want to penalize an innocent club. At the end of the day, we all have the interest of Indian football at heart," Vasco president Vinod Parkkot, who was personally present in the court room, told TOI.
Seated besides Parkkot in the court room was Larsing Ming himself and the Lajong FC general secretary seemed more relieved than pleased.
"We have always maintained that we have been in the clear and that (Seikhohao) Tuboi is our player since 2009. I met Parkkot for the first time, so also (Vasco official) Selwyn Botelho. We showed them the documents. It was clear that we were never in the wrong," explained Ming.
The club general secretary, curiously, is also an executive committee member of the AIFF but claimed neither his club nor he was aware of Vasco's request for arbitration.
"Had we been provided with a chance to explain ourselves, this matter wouldn't have reached the court," he said.
Vasco officials shifted the blame on Indian Football Association (IFA) and claimed the governing body for football in Bengal had registered Tuboi - with Army XI in the league - without any transfer documents, or clearance from Shillong Lajong with whom he was registered since 2009.
Earlier, when the magistrate took his seat on Friday morning, he immediately referred to Vasco's petition and asked all parties involved to be "as brief as possible" and sought everyone's "utmost cooperation to dispose of the matter the same day."
But when the case was eventually called out some twenty minutes later, Vasco's legal counsel said they were not pressing for an injunction.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Vasco-do-a-volte-face-drop-suit-against-Lajong-FC/articleshow/10446425.cms