MUMBAI: Rajasthan United FC Wednesday issued a statement refuting a report that said the club is all set to withdraw from the ongoing I-League 2021-22 owing to a lack of funds.
Rajasthan United FC won the I-League qualifiers in October to qualify for the ongoing season (currently suspended) of the I-League.
“Rajasthan United would like to unequivocally say that the club has no intention to withdraw from the I-League. Any reports suggesting this are unfounded and based on rumour. No club officials have released a statement regarding a withdrawal,” the club said in its statement.
The clarification came after a media report quoted a club official saying, “Our expenditures have increased by 15-20L and we really can’t afford that. We will soon be writing to AIFF regarding our plans to withdraw. We do not have enough funds. If investors don’t come, we have no option but to do this.”
Clarifications notwithstanding, there is no denying that post the club’s qualification for the this season’s I-league, it has had difficulties in even putting together a full team of registered professional players. For their debut match against RoundGlass Punjab FC, the club were able to field only nine players, News18 reports.
So shambolic was their entry into the I-League ranks that the club appeared clueless when requesting the AIFF to allow them to field amateur players. The AIFF responded thus to their request: “The AIFF would like to clarify the confusion over the registration and participation of amateur players in the Hero I-League 2021-22. As per the AIFF Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players 2021 (AIFF RSTP) amateur players may only participate in professional competitions (i.e., the Hero I-League) should such amateur players be registered in the professional registration window.
“Earlier this year a decision was taken that only professional players would be allowed to participate in the Hero I-League 2021-22. However, keeping in mind the clubs being promoted from the 2nd division, the League committee created an exception to allow the participation of amateur players till the 31st of December 2021 if they were already registered with such clubs in a professional registration period as per the AIFF RSTP.
“Following the recommendation of the League Committee, the matter was referred to the Players Status & Registration, and the Legal departments for their necessary inputs, who acted as per the statutes of the RSTP.
“It is pertinent to note that FIFA has approved the AIFF RSTP. In this regard, the AIFF is bound to respect its own rules which are in consonance with the FIFA RSTP. Therefore, the AIFF is not in a position to allow any amateur players registered outside the professional registration window to take the field for the Hero I-League 2021-22 till they sign professional contracts and register themselves as professionals in the second transfer window of the 2021-22 season which opens on January 1, 2022.”
Rewinding to their “debut match” against RoundGlass Punjab FC, the club may have somehow held on for a 2-2 draw fielding 9 men, but clearly much is lacking as far as their financial creditworthiness credentials are concerned. One has to sympathise with the owners though, considering how the financial downturn the country has been facing has negatively impacted many an institution and business.
