Gokulam Kerala barred from AFC Women’s Club Championships

Gokulam Kerala women’s team will return home on Monday from Uzbekistan after it was removed from the AFC Women’s Club Championships following the FIFA ban on India.

Published : Aug 20, 2022 17:29 IST

Gokulam Kerala women’s team.
Gokulam Kerala women’s team. | Photo Credit: TWITTER
infoIcon

Gokulam Kerala women’s team. | Photo Credit: TWITTER

Gokulam Kerala women’s team will return home on Monday from Uzbekistan after it was removed from the AFC Women’s Club Championships following the FIFA ban on India.

The 23-member team, led by India captain Ashalata Devi, were left stranded in Tashkent for six days since arriving at the Uzbekistan capital on August 16, the day the news of the ban imposed on the AIFF by the world governing body FIFA reached India.

Gokulam, the Indian Women’s League champions, were to play against home side Sogdiana-W in Qarshi on August 23 and against Bam Khatoon FC of Iran in its next round-robin match on August 26.

“Yes, it is confirmed. The sports ministry has told us that its request to FIFA and AFC to allows us to play in the AFC Women’s Club Championships has been refused. So, we are not playing. The organisers have also told us that we can’t play,” Gokulam Kerala president V C Praveen told  PTI.

“We were trying for the players to return home on Sunday but there is no flight from Tashkent to India. The earliest flight is on Monday, so we are trying for the players to return home on Monday or Tuesday,” he added.

“Of course, the players are distraught at the turn of events and they had to suffer for no fault of theirs. The club had to suffer.” Praveen said the AFC should have allowed his club to take part in the championships as the players had left for the tournament before the ban came into effect.

“We did not know about the ban before we left Kozhikode, we came to know of the ban on AIFF only after reaching Uzbekistan.

“The FIFA and AFC should have been considerate, either the ban should have been after this championships or we should have been allowed to take part in it.” He said the club will request the AFC to compensate for the money spent on players’ travel and accommodation, which will run into lakhs of rupees.

“The AFC normally reimburses for the flight tickets, for travel and accommodation expenses for its tournaments. So, we will request AFC and let’s see what happens.” The club had requested the sports ministry and had also written to the prime minister for help.

The AFC has also removed Gokulam Kerala’s scheduled matches which were earlier there on its website.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment