By IANS,
New Delhi: Senior officials of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) now feel that they should have entered into a participation agreement with the teams playing in the Nehru Cup and that would have saved the federation from the embarrassment Thailand and Palestine caused by choosing to send nondescript junior teams.
The officials felt the organising committee could have taken steps to make sure all the participating nations sent their senior teams for the tournament starting here Aug 19, though they agree that no such precautions were taken when the 2007 edition was played.
The officials felt the AIFF secretary-general Alberto Colaco landed himself in a spot by not entering into the participation agreement — a norm all organisers of international tournaments follow.
Though Colaco refused to say anything on the fiasco, AIFF’s competition director Anil Kamath told IANS that the teams were invited in an atmosphere of goodwill and no way there could have been any agreement in such a situation.
“Even in 2007 we had no agreement with the participating teams and it was a great success. No one anticipated the turn of events that took place this time around. I can only say we have learnt a lesson,” he said.
The agreement is a bond signed between the host association and the participating countries and it has conditions pertaining to withdrawal, penalty on failing to play and replacement, disciplinary matters, protests, doping, disputes, equipment, team colours, football to be used, venues, commercial rights, financial provisions, etc.
The agreement, in fact, safeguards the interests of not only the organisers but also the participating countries.
The AIFF did write to all the football associations with a copy to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), inviting the national sides for the prestigious tournament in the Indian capital. Any party reneging on the agreement would be liable for hefty fine and other punitive actions from the AFC.
If only the AIFF had signed the agreement with the playing nations, it would have been in a position to claim damages from both Thailand and Palestine.