The Goan football club's patron Churchill Alemao said he would file a defamation suit against the airline for tarnishing the team's image.
Rubbishing allegations that Churchill Brothers players molested the cabin crew of a Spicejet flight they were travelling in, the Goan football club's patron Churchill Alemao today said he would file a defamation suit against the airline for tarnishing the team's image.
Three Churchill players -- star striker Odafe Okalie, medio Ogba Kalu Nnanna and India's SAFF cup hero Arindam Bhattacharya -- were arrested for allegedly molesting an airhostess on a Kolkata-bound flight but were released on bail.
The entire Churchill team was offloaded in Mumbai due to the in-flight ruckus but Alemao insisted that the furore was the creation of the flight crew. The team was on its way to Kolkata to play against Mohun Bagan in the ninth round of the I-League.
"It is four years now that Odafe is playing for our team and was never involved in misbehaviour with women. I know his
nature. He is a god-fearing man and has a wife and a child and does not have a habit of going after women. It's hard to
believe the allegations against him," Alemao said.
Okalie, Kalu Nnanna and Bhattacharya left for Kolkata along with the team this morning.
Alemao said it was conspiracy to stop the team from playing against Mohun Bagan as the team had beaten the Bengal side in both the IFA shield and Durand Cup this season.
"Now that we are meeting them again in the I-league tomorrow, there is definitely someone behind the conspiracy to stop him playing tomorrow's match," alleged Alemao.
Alemao said Odafe's hand accidentally came in contact with an airhostess while she was passing by for which the Nigerian immediately apologised. Alemao said the cabin crew created a ruckus after that and got into an argument with the entire team.
"Kalu, was sitting at the rear sit of the aircraft, and there is no question of his being involved in the molestation case," asserted Alemao
"It's a conspiracy to tarnish our image and we are going to file a defamation case against the spicejet shortly after consulting our lawyer," he said at a press conference held here.
"In my political career, people have tried to tarnish my image but I have won the battles against my conspirators. They
are trying to tarnish my image in sports field also which I find hard to digest," he added.
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