PANAJI: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has cancelled the last two home games of Aizawl FC after both teams from Manipur – TRAU FC and Neroca FC – refused to travel to Mizoram citing security concerns.
Since May last year, Manipur continues to be divided on ethnic lines with violence claiming several lives. Both clubs were forced to play their ‘home’ games in the I-League outside the state.
But the violence now has a new casualty with AIFF deciding to cancel both the games and allot a point each to those teams involved. It all started with TRAU telling the federation that “life and safety is more important than football.”
“Considering the present unrest in the state and the open support of the Mizo’s to the Kuki Jo group, I request you to change the venue to a neutral site. If our request is not considered, we are left with no option but to give this particular match a walkover,” TRAU secretary Phulen Meitei wrote in an email.
Neroca, too, weren’t keen and said the decision to continue to host their game in Aizawl would be “injustice” since “tension between Meiteis and Kukis has not yet stopped.”
The club said they were ready to play the game anywhere in India, except Aizawl, “so as to save our lives.”
They would consider playing only if the Union home ministry and state government of Mizoram assures “full security” in writing.
Initially caught between the two clubs’ refusal and Aizawl’s insistence on playing their home games in Aizawl itself, the AIFF provided the teams with two options: shift the matches to Kolkata, while the second option was to call off the games and award both teams a point each.
