Anwar Ali banned for four months; East Bengal, Delhi FC get transfer window bans

East Bengal FC and Delhi FC have been banned from registering any players for two transfer windows starting from January.

Indian defender Anwar Ali. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Indian men’s national team defender Anwar Ali has been banned from football for four months following his loan termination with Mohun Bagan Super Giant to join East Bengal FC, the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Player Status Committee said on Tuesday.

East Bengal and his parent club Delhi FC have also been banned from registering any players for the next two transfer windows starting from January.

Additionally, MBSG is eligible for a compensation of Rs 12.9 crore, to be paid by Anwar, East Bengal and Delhi FC. The due amount mentioned above has been calculated in the following manner:

• Residual value of the player’s contract with MBSG based on the average value of his contract with MBSG and subsequently with EBFC i.e. (INR 2,50,00,000 a year & INR 3,10,00,000 a year respectively) – INR 2,80,00,000 for (3) three years remaining – A total of INR 8,40,00,000.
• Remuneration already paid by MBSG to Delhi FC under the loan agreement: - INR 2,00,00,000.
• Other Objective Criteria including damage suffered by Club- INR 2,50,00,000 towards replacement/alternative basis as calculated basis the transfer fee earned by Delhi FC in the current transaction from East Bengal FC.

If the amount is not paid within 45 days of the notification of the decision, then the ban on East Bengal and Delhi FC from registering new players would be increased to the next three transfer windows. Moreover, the playing ban on Anwar would go up to six months.

Anwar prematurely terminated his loan agreement with the Mariners in July, through an e-mail and signed a five-year deal with East Bengal. However, the Mariners – with whom he was contracted on a four-year loan deal – maintain that the move was illegal and included him in the Calcutta Football League squad.

Article 15 of AIFF’s Regulation for Status and Transfer of Players states that a contract between a professional player and a club may only be terminated upon expiry of the term of the contract or by mutual agreement.

For a solution on the matter, Anwar, his parent club, Delhi FC, and Mohun Bagan had approached the PSC.

Though the Committee found the loan termination ‘without a just cause’ in its interim order on August 3, it gave the player clearance to join another club at his own risk, following which East Bengal officially announced the signing of the India centre-back on August 13.

According to Article 51 of the AIFF constitution, the 24-year-old center-back can now appeal the sanction to the AIFF Appeal Committee, which will hear decisions passed by the Players’ Status Committee concerning the eligibility of players.

Anwar will have to notify of his decision to appeal in writing to the Appeal Committee within three days of notification of the sanction.