Kerala Blasters to temporarily pause women’s team

Kerala Blasters on Tuesday announced the temporary pause of its women’s team due to financial sanctions imposed by the All India Football Federation.

Published : Jun 06, 2023 11:40 IST , Chennai - 2 MINS READ

Representative Image
Representative Image | Photo Credit: Twitter/Kerala Blasters
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Representative Image | Photo Credit: Twitter/Kerala Blasters

Kerala Blasters on Tuesday announced the temporary pause of its women’s team due to financial sanctions imposed by the All India Football Federation.

“It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the temporary pause of our women’s team. This decision has been necessitated by the recent financial sanctions imposed on our club by the football federation. While we respect the authority and decisions of the federation, we cannot deny our disappointment at the impact it is likely to have across various functions of our club,” the statement said.

Blasters were fined Rs 4 crore by the AIFF for the walkout in the ISL playoff game against Bengaluru FC last season. In the statement it is mentioned that ‘the club had plans for increased investments’ for the women’s team and these investments included a first-of-a-kind foreign pre-season tour with the men’s team, player exchanges and exposure tours.

Blasters said that the sanctions enforced by AIFF meant that they prioritize the immediate objectives and long-term financial stability, due to which the women’s team activities cannot be continued until further clarity.

“The decision to pause their activities was made after careful consideration and evaluation of the current circumstances.”

While mentioning that the pause would be temporary for the women’s team which was formed last July, club expressed their gratitude for the dedication, resilience, and talent shown by the women’s team members. “You have been an inspiration to us all, and we are committed to supporting you individually in any way we can during this pause,” the statement added.

In response to this, the former captain of the Indian women’s football team, Aditi Chauhan tweeted, “So the men’s team gets a fine for what they did and the money comes from the women’s team budget by shutting it down? Great, that’s how women’s football will develop in india. Horrible!”

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