Mumbai: Sporting Clube de Goa and Salgaocar FC’s withdrawal of teams from the I-league seems to have shaken up the entire All India Football Federation (AIFF). A week after the Goan clubs’ move, the governing body of Indian football officials are travelling to Goa to pacify the Goan clubs and douse the anger.
It is learnt that Dempo Sports Club are also contemplating their future as Golden Eagles’ chairman, Shrinivas Dempo, who also happens to be one of the AIFF vice-presidents, is expected to chair the meeting. I-League CEO Sunando Dhar, AIFF general secretary Kushal Das and Chirag Tanna, Reliance’s Sports Division’s General Manager, will also be present.
“Representatives from Dempo Sports Club will be present at the meeting. I will represent the AIFF as the vice-president. The purpose is to try and convince the two clubs (Salgaocar and Sporting) not to withdraw. But Dempo’s representatives will also be present,” Dempo was quoted as saying by Goal.com.
Dempo, however, was non-committal on whether the Goan team will participate in the league for another. “The two clubs (Salgaocar and Sporting) have not yet taken a formal decision to withdraw. With that said, we are finding it difficult to find a clear roadmap. That’s the reason for this whole exercise; to find out more from AIFF, to have a much focused discussion in terms of situations pertaining to the Goan clubs,” Dempo was quoted.