As tensions rise, AIFF knocks on police door for additional security

Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has requested the director general of police, Alok Kumar, to provide additional security for the high-stake I-League clash between leaders Churchill Brothers and title challengers Inter Kashi at the Panchayat ground in Raia on Sunday.
This is a winner-takes-all clash with a win ensuring that Churchill will be champions for the third time, while a win for Kashi will keep them in the race, going into the final round of matches next week. With 38 points, Churchill are leading the table. Kashi are third with 35 points, one behind Real Kashmir who have played an additional game.
It's not just the title clash that has prompted AIFF secretary general P Anilkumar to knock on the doors of the Goa police. Relations between the two challengers have completely broken down with accusations flying thick and fast. The presence of foreign FIFA-accredited referees – all three from neighbouring Nepal – has also kept the federation on its toes.
The countdown to the Sunday blockbuster has been overshadowed by accusations from both sides. It all started with the AIFF changing the match commissioner after Churchill, according to a statement from the club, pointed out that that he “was not a neutral person (from Kolkata).” The match commissioner then sent a list of four Indian referees only for the federation to “change this panel and appoint referees from Nepal.”
The biggest fight though has been over training ground for the visiting team. Kashi have pointed out that as per I-League regulations, the visiting team should be allotted the main ground for training on match day minus one (Saturday in this case), a requirement that was ignored by Churchill.
“Such acts of omission and commission by the home team/ LOC are completely against not just the competition regulations, but also the spirit of the game. Your refusal to allot us the stadium/field of play at our requested time/slot while you continue to use the same are against the very spirit of fair play,” Kashi said in an email to Churchill and AIFF.
In another email, Churchill pointed out that the club was allotted the Trinity ground in Benaulim as the training venue. After the match commissioner inspected the panchayat ground at Raia on Friday – the match venue -- they were given the opportunity to train in the morning hours of Saturday. An email from the match commissioner states “as there is no underground sprinkler system available, it can be allotted in the morning hours only as it requires manual watering, repair and marking of field of play (FOP) to keep it match ready. It is not possible for ground staff to make the ground match fit after late evening training session on MD-1 by away team Inter Kashi.”
Churchill also said Kashi are “not availing the transport, ambulance and practice facility that we have provided.”
The constant emails between the two sides and complete distrust left Kashi without any training in Goa for the two days that they have been here. Not surprisingly, experienced Spanish coach Antonio Lopez Habas was furious.
“We were asked to train at eight in the morning. Good hour for training! Thanks to Churchill Brothers. Fair play,” said Habas, pointing out how the club was denied the chance to train closer to the match timing in the evening. Kashi did not train on match eve.
“What happened in the last few days, I don’t like that, the pressure from another club against us. I am very angry about this situation because our team is a professional team. I don’t want to have influence on the score, on the referees for the matches. Some teams need the influence of the referees and the federation for playing against us,” said Habas.