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Kerala Blasters FC were hoping for relief from Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in their ‘walkout’ appeal but will now have to play Rs 4 crore fine to AIFF.
Kerala Blasters FC received a setback as their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the All India Football Federation (AIFF) sanction has turned out to be unsuccessful. Kerala Blasters will now have to pay AIFF Rs 4 crore for their ‘walkout’ against Bengaluru FC during an Indian Super League (ISL) fixture last season. The mandate has given the club a two-week deadline to fulfill the financial obligation, including covering AIFF’s legal expenses incurred while fighting the case.
As per a senior official who was quoted by The Times of India, AIFF has been vindicated by CAS – a body that is the leading global platform for resolving sports-related disputes. Kerala Blasters had argued that their management was not able to communicate with the team and hence sought a less severe punishment under the ethics rules of AIFF and ISL.
The AIFF’s disciplinary committee had accused Kerala Blasters’ coach, Ivan Vukomanovic, of “bringing the game into disrepute” owing to his decision to instruct the team to
abandon the match against Bengaluru
after a contentious refereeing call that led to Sunil Chhetri’s goal.
“The AIFF always had a strong case and this has now reflected in the decision of CAS, which is the world’s premier forum for resolving sporting disputes,” a senior official was quoted as saying by TOI.
Reports also confirmed that several attempts were made by officials to reason with Vukomanovic. Referee Crystal John also sought to step in and discuss matters with the head coach near the touchline, while the match commissioner Amit Dharap passed on the consequences of not returning to the field to the team manager, Manish Kochar.
The AIFF disciplinary committee had back then imposed a Rs 4 crore fine on Kerala Blasters since they believed that abandonment of the game was contrary to the principles of fair play, respect, and integrity.
Kerala Blasters appealed against this decision, but the panel upheld the original penalty, asserting it as appropriate.
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