New Delhi, Aug 19 (UNI) Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has requested both the International Football Federation (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to allow Indian clubs, Sree Gokulam Kerala FC and ATK Mohun Bagan, to compete in the tournaments as scheduled.Before the FIFA suspension of AIFF was announced, Sree Gokulam Kerala FC had already reached Uzbekistan, ahead of its scheduled matches against a team from Iran on August 23 and one from the host nation on August 26 in the southern Uzbekistan city of Qarshi, while ATK Mohun Bagan is slated to play the AFC Cup 2022 (Inter-Zone semifinals) on September 7 in Bahrain. The ministry wrote an email to FIFA and AFC highlighting the fact that Sree Gokulam Kerala FC was already in Uzbekistan when FIFA’s suspension of AIFF was announced.
“It has requested FIFA and AFC to therefore consider allowing the team to play in the AFC Women’s Club Championship (West region) in the interest of the young players. Meanwhile, the ministry has also reached out to the Indian embassy in Uzbekistan to extend assistance to the team in all possible ways. The ministry is also in constant touch with Gokulam team’s management,” it said in a release. On Wednesday, Sree Gokulam Kerala FC women’s team has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene as 23 players of the club’s team stranded in Tashkent, Uzbekistan after been disallowed from participating in the AFC Women’s Club Championship following FIFA’s ban on All India Football Federation (AIFF). The FIFA on Tuesday announced the suspension of the AIFF with immediate effect due to “undue influence from third parties” which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes. This is the first time the AIFF has been banned by FIFA in its 85-year existence.