No clarity on Administrator’s Cup winners after 22 days

Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 22 

Over 20 days have passed since the Administrator’s Cup final was played between Chandigarh Football Academy (CFA) and Minerva Punjab FC, but there is still no clarity about who won the championship.

After losing 2-0 in the final on September 30, CFA had accused Minerva of fielding three overage players. CFA had also submitted relevant documents in support of their claim, but the Sports Department has not verified the documents till now. As a result, the suspense over who won the championship remains.

CFA had made allegations against two footballers from Manipur and one from Punjab in the Minerva playing XI.

“We have been working on this and a decision will be made soon. We have got all the documents and hopefully, we will reach the conclusion soon,” said UT Sports Director Tejdeep Singh Saini.

Saini further said that any action will only be initiated if the allegations were proved correct. “CFA’s authorities have to prove the allegations. They have already submitted the documents, and the disciplinary committee will assess those before making a decision,” he said.

Soon after the tournament, Minerva Punjab FC had moved court seeking change of the members of the disciplinary committee, even as the organisers had already ordered a change in the constitution of the panel, Saini revealed. 

Asked whether the organisers were delaying the decision to avoid any legal battle, Saini said: “There is no point facing any objections. We have been working on the same and the department will stand by the truth. The action will be taken in due course of time.” 

Past incidents

Earlier in the tournament, Minerva had made objections about the eligibility of players against Tata Football Academy, while the Haryana Football Association team had made objections against Ideal Youth Association, Manipur. On both occasions, action had been taken the same day. However, it has been 22 days and still there has been no decision about the controversy after the final. 

This is not the first time there were objections about the eligibility of players. In 2017, Minerva FC had made objections against Cordia Southall Football FC, and action had been taken the same day. In 2016, Minerva FC had faced objections from Youngsters Club. In that incident, it had taken one day for the decision