With Indian football's transfer window beginning from Wednesday, the news of FIFA's transfer ban on ISL clubs Kerala Blasters and East Bengal could not have come at a worse time.
The world football governing body, today, banned the two clubs from signing any new players in the transfer window because of non-payment of dues to former recruits.
FIFA's ban, which was drafted on June 1 and forwarded by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday, comes in the wake of East Bengal and KBFC's failure to comply with "financial obligations" for their former players Johnny Acosta and Matej Poplatnik. Players can approach FIFA if they aren't paid their wages on time.
As far the Blasters are concerned, FIFA has acted upon a complaint about unpaid salary by former player Poplatnik. The Slovenian striker played for the Men in Yellow during the 2018-19 season. With a year left on his contract with Blasters, he spent the next season on loan at Hungarian club Kaposvari Rakoczi.
also read
- Kerala Blasters vs Odisha FC: Kochi club's mainstay faces three-match suspension, set to miss play-off
- ISL: Kerala Blasters beaten 2-0 by NEUFC
- Punjab FC's final two ISL matches in Delhi to be played behind closed doors
- 13 goals and counting: KBFC's Dimitrios Diamantakos goes past Roy Krishna in ISL top-scorer race
- Manchester City and Mumbai City FC of course, but how many other clubs owned by City Football Group can you name?
He left the club to join Scottish top division club Livingston FC ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Kerala Blasters must now clear the pending dues to get the ban overturned, and the club said that it has already initiated the process. “Kerala Blasters Football Club can confirm that all necessary actions have been taken to clear pending obligations with respect to the transfer ban imposed by FIFA on the club. The club expects to have the required clearance in due time. Further, the club assures all its fans that the ban will not affect the ongoing recruitment of players and preparations for the upcoming season,” Blasters said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the transfer ban has dealt another major blow for East Bengal, who are already grappling with the final agreement issue with their present investors Shree Cement.
East Bengal top official Debabrata Sarkar said they have received the letter and are taking "immediate steps".
Blaming their former investor Quess Corporation for this, Sarkar said: "This is a fallout of the one-sided termination by Quess Corp Ltd. Now, we are made to pay the price for their wrongdoing. We are very much worried about the club's future."
Costa Rican World Cupper Acosta, who played a key role in East Bengal's runner-up finish in 2018-19 I-League, had complained against the club to FIFA.
Acosta, who played two seasons for East Bengal, got stuck in Kolkata following the coronavirus-enforced lockdown last year. There was worse in store as Quess had applied the Force Majeure clause terminating the players' contracts before their association with East Bengal had ended.
Acosta, who finally left Kolkata in June last year, had hit out at the club for being "apathetic to his situation".
East Bengal and Quess Corp had a three-year tie-up but the Bengaluru-based investor exited on May 31 last year after a two-year association.
