AIFF disciplinary panel to probe ISL racism allegation
MUMBAI: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) asked its disciplinary committee on Tuesday to probe a complaint filed by Mumbai City FC against a Saudi Arabian referee for allegedly making racist remarks to Gabonese player Serge Kevyn during the Indian Super League (ISL) match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
At the post-match press conference after the win over hosts Bengaluru FC, Mumbai City FC coach Jorge Costa accused referee Turki Mohammed Al Khudayr of racially abusing his 25-year-old player, saying “this referee made some gestures, calling him a monkey”.
The club followed it up by filing an official complaint to AIFF, which looks after the refereeing in India’s premier domestic league. The national federation has tasked its sixmember disciplinary committee—headed by senior advocate UN Banerjee—to investigate the charge.
“Racism has no place in football across the world, whether it is in India or in the ISL or anywhere else,” AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said on Tuesday. “The disciplinary committee will investigate the matter, and it is completely the committee’s decision, which is an independent body, on the action to be taken, if any,” he added.
NO DEADLINE
Asked if there would be a deadline for the committee to complete its inquiry, Das said: “That is completely up to the committee.”
Indranil Das Blah, CEO of Mumbai City, said: “We have placed our complaint and will now wait for the disciplinary committee to come back with its findings.”
According to a team source, the alleged gestures and remarks were made during the fag end of the match, and Kevyn even confronted Al Khudayr after the final whistle. After a minor argument on the field, Kevyn informed his coach about the incident.
Mumbai’s Portuguese head coach Costa began his press conference after the match by saying, “I am speaking about the respect that he (referee) did not have today with one player—serge Kevyn. That during the game, this referee made some gestures, calling him a monkey. And this, there are things, that I cannot close my eyes (to).”