look news india
Kolkata, 05 November (HS). Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Subhendu Adhikari, has written a letter to Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, registering a complaint against three major football clubs and the secretary of the Indian Football Association (IFA). The official alleges that the officials of these clubs have improperly campaigned for Trinamool Congress candidate Sanat De in the Naihati assembly by-election.
Adhikari in his letter said it is an unprecedented and unethical move that top officials of clubs like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting have supported Trinamool candidate Sanat De. He also alleged that IFA Secretary Anirban Dutta has also expressed support in favor of Sanat De before the elections by releasing a video message on social media. The official said the video was posted on Trinamool's official X (formerly Twitter) handle.
The official also mentioned in his letter that this type of political support is a violation of the code of conduct of sports bodies and should be considered against the spirit of the game. He said that such promotion by people holding important administrative positions of football clubs and sports governing bodies is an unfair move.
The official also wrote in his letter that FIFA, the top governing body of world football, strictly prohibits political messages and imposes heavy fines and penalties on violators. He requested the Union Minister to take cognizance of the matter and conduct a proper investigation.
It is noteworthy that by-elections will be held on six assembly seats of West Bengal including Naihati on November 13 and the counting of votes will be done on November 23.