The six I-League clubs, who were fined INR 27.5 lakh by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), met with the Appeals Committee of the Indian FA on Monday and it was decided that the clubs' appeals against the two sets of fines handed out to them will be heard together on a later date.
The Disciplinary Committee of the AIFF initially sanctioned five I-League clubs that boycotted the 2019 Super Cup with a fine of INR 10 lakh and East Bengal with a fine of INR 5 lakh. Later on, the clubs were fined INR 27.5 lakh for damages and losses suffered by the FA and its commercial partner.
"Appeals Committee heard the clubs appeal against the first fine (Rs 10 lakh). It is a complete waste of time. We told them that both fines must be heard together as it deals with the same issue. We were told that we would be given another date," Ranjit Bajaj, owner of Minerva Punjab, told Goal.
It has also been learnt that the AIFF has appealed against the decision of its disciplinary committee to let off Mohun Bagan without any sanction for not taking part in the 2019 Super Cup.
The Disciplinary Committee initially fined the I-League clubs who pulled out of the Super Cup but referred the case of Mohun Bagan, who had not registered their players for the tournament, to the tribunal. The Appeals Committee will now hear the appeals of the AIFF and the clubs together.
The syndicate of seven I-League clubs namely, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Churchill Brothers, Minerva Punjab, Aizawl FC, NEROCA and Gokulam Kerala have already decided to drag the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to court if the Indian Super League (ISL) is announced as the top tier of the Indian domestic club football system. They have issued a joint statement on the same.
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