Fransa pull out of Air India tie

The Fransa Pax-Air India match, scheduled for Friday, has been cancelled after Fransa refused to play the game following the All India Football Federation's decision to reject their request to reschedule their matches.

Fransa had asked for their matches to be rescheduled following the controversial match against Mahindra United, who emerged victorious following controversial decisions by the referee.

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The club, on Thursday, conveyed to the Goa Football Association its decision not to attend the managers meeting and threatened to disband the team if no favourable decision is conveyed to them by the AIFF.

With only Air-india manager-cum-coach Bimal Ghosh turning up for the managers meeting on Thursday evening, match commissioner M G Suvarna informed that the Fransa-Air India match will not take place as scheduled on February 3.

Suvarna said since Fransa had already informed in writing that they would not attend the managers meeting it was decided not to hold the match.

He, however, said the decision regarding the result of Friday's match will be decided by the AIFF at a later date, as he had already spoken to AIFF secretary Alberto Colaco about the situation in Goa.

Bimal Ghosh said he would write to the match commissioner to award a walkover to his team.

• National Football League

"We should be awarded a walkover as per the NFL rules, and since Fransa has refused to play we should get three points," stated Ghosh.

Suvarna later said the match could be played if Fransa turns up on Friday even though they were not represented at the meeting.

Meanwhile, the AIFF, on Friday, announced that its emergency committee would meet in the next four days to discuss the controversial match between the Goan outfit and Mahindra United.

"If they want to withdraw, they can. The NFL is on, it will be on," AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi told newspersons in Kolkata.

He said the emergency committee would view video footage of the two penalties referee Bikramjit Purakayastha awarded Mahindra United. Jose Baretto scored from both the penalties in the January 30 tie to give the Mumbai side a 2-1 victory.

"The committee will go through the match commissioner's report. More importantly, it will see the exact nature of the breach of discipline during and after the match," Dasmunshi said.

Incensed by the referee's decision, the crowd rained chairs and bottles on the ground while players from the Fransa camp beseiged the referee.

The situtation turned uglier once the game got over as the agitated crowd smashed the windowpanes of Mahindra's and referees' dressing rooms.