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Mumbai FC get raw deal from MDFA

I-League commitments force city's top club to miss several rounds of elite division games

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Kenkre Academy and Karnatak SA players vie for ball during an Elite Division tie at the Cooperage on Thursday. Kenkre won 3-0
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Playing in the I-League has cost Mumbai FC dear. The city-based club, coached by Khalid Jamil, has been kicked out of the elite division of the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA), a competition in which they have a cent per cent record with nine wins. The reason is that Mumbai FC have missed five to six rounds due to their national commitments

MDFA secretary U Banerjee told dna, "They couldn't keep up with the schedule due to their I-League commitments. Other teams had to suffer because of that. We could not prolong the season as they (teams) cannot afford to keep their players as most of them are on contract. And hence we decided that we couldn't wait for the I-League to get over and then schedule Mumbai FC's games (the I-League final round is on May 30). The committee and the team (Mumbai FC) amicably decided that the team will not be relegated, but all the games that they have played will be declared null and void."

However, Mumbai FC manager Henry Picardo said that the MDFA had given them nothing in writing. He informed that his team was willing to play the games in May. "If a team is removed from a competition, it's the duty of the organisation that runs it to intimate the team in writing. No such thing has been done. We did have a meeting two weeks ago, but nothing concrete came of it. And suddenly we are hearing that we have been removed from the competition."

Picardo further argues that his team had a 15-day break between May 2-17 and could've played the matches then. "We are suffering as a result of poor scheduling by MDFA. We were ready to play a game every second day, but the MDFA said that was not possible as other teams had to go for other tournaments. How can they be allowed to play other tournaments and reschedule their MDFA games? We did not play any other tournament but the national league. So, I think the MDFA should give us some leeway. We also have players on contract. The nine games we played have been declared null and void. What about the money we paid our players? So I think the MDFA should take every thing into consideration before starting the league. This is totally unacceptable and not a step in the right direction for Mumbai football."

So is Mumbai FC going to continue playing in the city league? "We are not playing it for the money. It's the pride of being the best team in the city. Of course we will continue playing, but something really needs to be done to avoid such things," Picardo said.

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