Kerala Blasters FC has been fined Rs 4 crore by the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) disciplinary committee for abandoning their Indian Super League playoff match against Bengaluru FC on March 3. AIFF informed about this by issuing a release late on Friday night.
The Disciplinary Committee, after hearing from all the parties involved in the match and considering their protests and submissions, has also directed Kerala Blasters to issue a public apology "for this unpardonable conduct of abandoning the match." If they fail to do so, the fine for blasters is going to be increased to Rs 6 crore.
It is noteworthy that Sunil Chhetri scored a goal for BFC on a free kick in the match held at Bangalore's Sree Kanteerava Stadium, after which the Blasters team left the ground after protesting. The Blasters said that they could not prepare for Chhetri's freekick. The club had also lodged a complaint with the AIFF against referee Crystal Johns in this regard.
Blasters head coach Ivan Vukomanovic has also been banned for 10 matches in AIFF competitions. Along with this, a fine of five lakh rupees has also been imposed on him under Article 9.1.2 of the AIFF Disciplinary Code. The federation has also ordered Blasters and Vukomanovic to comply with the order within a week.
Both parties have the right to file an appeal against the order. The Disciplinary Committee also stated that 'abandoning matches is one of the rarest incidents in global sports history, especially in football'. This is only the second time in the history of professional football in India that a team has abandoned a match. In 2012, this only happened in the match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
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