BANGALORE: It cannot be more ironic, even shocking. Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre, the city’s senior division football league champions, have been denied entry into the I-League 2nd division, while runners-up KGF Academy (BEML) are taking part. HAL, which finished third, also figure in the 1st division having qualified the previous year. MEG won the right to play by bagging the senior division title. But as the second division national league approached, they received a letter from the All India Football Federation stating that they cannot participate in the tournament. Reason? They are not a commercial entity. This is a FIFA and AFC requirement which has been accepted without any argument by authorities in the country to the huge disappointment of sports circles in the defence sector.There are any number of defence units in the city, state and the country which have supported football for ages. They have produced some outstanding footballers who served the state and the country with distinction. But perhaps, not any more.Again in 2007, the AIFF allowed an Army XI to take part in the second division league despite the fact that it was not a club side at all.This decision to bar such teams from climbing up the ladder can have far-reaching consequences as these units will think twice before floating football teams. That will deprive job and career opportunities to aspiring footballers. Their families will suffer in the long run.Professionalism is only in name for not all clubs even in the first division satisfy stipulations. None of them own a stadium and all their home venues are nothing but stadiums owned by the state association and the state government. The football authorities like AIFF, AFC and FIFA prefer to look the other way and allow them to take part but cite flimsy reasons to keep MEG away. It even owns a stadium with seating capacity for at least 20,000. Safety and security of players and spectators is guaranteed as it is situated inside their sprawling complex.“Yes, we did our best to convince them but they did not agree. We received a letter from AIFF saying that we are not a commercial entity, we will not be allowed to take part. It was very disappointing as we were preparing for the tournament and hoped to make it to the first division,” said MEG coach Shaji.“I only hope something is done about it as defence teams cannot become commercial entities but still have better training and match facilities than many other private club,” Shaji said. The likes of Thangaraj, Shyam Thapa, Ranjit Thapa, Amar Bahadur, Bhupinder Singh Rawat, Ethiraj, G Krishnappa, Madhavan, Ravi Kumar, and Stanley Rosario to mention a few emerged from the ranks of defence units. The KSFA is only following directives without even a murmur of protest. Defence units in the city deserve a lot more from the authorities.
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