Respite for wantaway East Bengal winger Abinash Ruidas as AIFF says IFA can't decide his case
27 July 2017 6:13 PM GMT
Embroiled in a contract row with East Bengal, promising winger Abinash Ruidas on Thursday got a big boost with the All India Football Federation directing the Bengal state body not to proceed further with the matter as it would be "beyond their authority".
In a strongly-worded mail to the Indian Football Association secretary Utpal Ganguli, AIFF secretary Kushal Das has asked the state body to forward all papers and documents so as to enable it adjudicate the matter in accordance with law, as expeditiously as possible.
"It's beyond the authority of the IFA to determine the status of Mr Abinash Ruidas, particularly when the subject dispute is not within the parameters of 'local transfer' of IFA," Das wrote, mentioning about Article 3 and 38 of AIFF regulation that directs that any dispute related to a players status and/or dispute between clubs and players shall be referred to the AIFF.
"Any decision making process in the instant subject issue by standing players status sub committee of IFA would be erroneous and unsustainable, apart from the same being in breach of the covenants undertaken by IFA as an affiliated state member of the AIFF," Das wrote in the letter.
"In the premises, you are hereby requested not to proceed any further with determining or adjudicating the disputed issue of status, as above, having far reaching consequences and forward all papers and documents forthwith to AIFF so as to enable the AIFF to adjudicate the same in accordance with law, as expeditiously as possible."
The development happened after the winger hired a Mumbai-based law firm and sought AIFF's intervention and also wrote to the IFA. IFA secretary Ganguli confirmed of receiving both the letters -- from the AIFF and the law firm Krida Legal.
"We will study both the letters and reply tomorrow (Friday)," Ganguli said.
The IFA had earlier in the day said Ruidas would have to play for East Bengal and referred the case to its disciplinary committee. In a missive to the IFA Players status sub-committee, Vidushpat Singhania of Krida Legal had requested the state body IFA to dismiss the present case for "want of jurisdiction" and refer the present dispute to AIFF which is the "proper forum". Ganguli, however, dismissed the letter and said: "We are not taking that into consideration." Ruidas was signed by Indian Super League franchise Mumbai City FC at its players draft but East Bengal have claimed that the footballer still had a contract of two more seasons.
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