Not feudal slaves, anymore

For some years now the All-India Football Federation and its top brass have been exposing its lack of foresight. The latest of such incidents was in the National Games held at Bangalore in May-June, which has caused much heartburn in Bombay football.

The AIFF, for some years now, has been plagued by a problem -- many of the leading players have not been able to play for the national side because of fatigue, injury or illness. It held seminars and even sought the advice of the Federation International de Football Association which sent over a two member team.

Soon after the Eider Nehru International series, which Iraq won at Kochi in early April, the AIFF released a list of about 45 players who would form the national pool. These players were to play not more 45 matches in a season. Some of the Bombay players shied away from the Maharashtra team for the National Games for fear of using some of the matches from the permitted quota.

In the absence of these players, the Western India Football Association felt the team would be weak and inexperienced. So it coaxed a few, like reluctant Arif Ansari, to come to Maharashtra's aid. Arif, who was one of the outstanding midfielders when Maharashtra last won the Santosh Trophy National Championship in 1991, was told in front of other probables that he would wear the captain's armband.

Perhaps, even as the preparatory camp was drawing to its close, the strength of the team was not reassuring. So the WIFA made a last throw of the dice: it contacted and prevailed upon AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi to ignore the matches in the National Games from the 45-match quota for the season. The appeal succeeded. It is not known if this concession was extended to players from other states.

Godfrey Pereira, who was voted the best player in the first Philips National League in February, was drafted into the team. That would have been all right. But he was given the captaincy (sorry Arif, but this is the way the game is played). This was not only uncalled for, as it meant that attendance from the beginning and performance at the camp did not count for much, but it was also unwise -- Godfred would have had no objection to playing under Ansari.

But Arif did not take the slight kindly. He withdrew from the team, claiming he was not fit and submitted a medical certificate to the effect.

Now it was the WIFA's turn to feel slighted. Instead of reconciling to it as something done while under the trauma of rejection, the association raked up the issue with a meeting of its disciplinary committee three weeks after the state team returned empty-handed from Bangalore. And then, instead of politely but firmly making its displeasure known, it slammed on the Central Railway lineman a seven-month ban that will be in operation from June to December.

Had the members of the WIFA disciplinary committee been following the trends in the game today, they would have known that players are no more like feudal slaves but are largely free to decide on such matters as whether to be part of a representative team or not. The players cannot be forced to turn out, as even the Russian Federation found out when some of its stars disagreed on the choice of the coach for the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

The disciplinary committee's action has sort of unified the Bombay super division clubs. They have made their unhappiness known to WIFA vice-president and disciplinary committee member Alex Fernandes. The latter has asked the super division sub-committee to seek a review of the case. The review could end in an amicable settlement and the closing of a needless, unsavoury chapter.