UP Football Sangh doesn’t exist in records for sports directorate
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate doesn’t seem to be aware of existence of Uttar Pradesh Football Sangh and its affiliated units across the state, but it continues to support the state body financially as well as logistically for game’s development.
The startling revelation has been made by the directorate itself on Monday in an RTI query of Bhawana Singh of Lucknow. She had sought to know the last election details of the UPFS as well as its affiliated units who took part in the election process.
“The information isn’t available in the records of the directorate and it doesn’t have any knowledge about the last election of the UPFS as well as its registered/affiliated units, who participated in the election meeting,” sports directorate’s administrative/information officer Shyam Narain Mishra stated in his reply.
For the records, the UPFS’ registration certificate with the UP Sports Directorate dates back to 1999.
In fact, ever since UPFS secretary Shamsuddin was charged under the POCSO Act in 2014 for allegedly molesting a girl footballer during the national camp in Varanasi, the state football body has been disaffiliated by the Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association.
“They (UPFS) are not associated with us since 2014 and they are not entitled to play in the official National Games,” UPOA secretary Anandeshwar Pandey said.
Despite all the controversy, the UP Sports Directorate, it is learnt, had been supporting the association financially.
As per rule, the directorate not only gives logistic support to the state sports associations/federations but also helps them financially to help them hold state camps before every national, railway concessions to the teams and kits of all team members.
Besides this, it also provides a financial assistance of Rs 15,000 annually, and Rs 50,000 and Rs 75,000 assistance if a sports body conducts national championships.
“Such an act of any state sports body requires action against them. Being a registered body with the sports directorate, one needs to furnish all its details, including the annual expenses to the government’s agency,” deputy director (sports), SS Mishra said.
“If you take support from the sports directorate, including the financial and logistics, you have to be answerable to us. One has to follow the existing guidelines of the directorate to continue availing the facilities,” he added.
Meanwhile, RTI activist and a former state level footballer, Mohit Singh accused the sports directorate of supporting UPFS financially and logistically even when they were not following the directorate’s guidelines.
“I have been fighting against the wrongdoings of the UPFS and the RTI reply is the proof of how the sports directorate officials are hand in gloves with the UPFS in minting money on the name of sports development,” he said on Thursday. “How can the sports directorate turn a blind eye towards the facts related with UPFS?
Ever since the UPFS came into existence, they have been getting financial as well as logistic support from the government’s agency in holding camps and sending teams at the national championships on regular basis.”
“I know that since 1999, the UPFS has been conducting elections in every fourth year and renewing its registration also, but even then the Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate does not have the current renewal registration certificate of UPFS.”
HT’s repeated attempts through phone calls and messages to the UPFS officials didn’t bear fruits as there was no response from either secretarygeneral Mohd Shamsuddin and joint-secretary, Shahid Ahmed.
BESIDES THIS, IT ALSO PROVIDES A FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OF RS 15,000 ANNUALLY, AND RS 50,000 AND RS 75,000 ASSISTANCE IF A SPORTS BODY CONDUCTS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS