The Disciplinary Committee of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) last week relegated Gyan Bhairav Club, banned it from playing the remaining matches of B Division National League, and slapped a fine for refusing to play the final six minutes of a match after a scuffle with the referee.
The club cried foul. It said It was neither asked to put forward its case at the committee before the decision was taken nor given any chance to appeal against the decision. It also claimed that the action was a biased decision as the club has broken away from another club, which is chaired by ANFA treasurer.
Discipline, which brings in sportsmanship, is the biggest asset of any sport. And, any unsporting behavior of a club competing in national league should only bring them strict punishment. The decision of the ANFA Disciplinary Committee, in that regard, has done a good job to uphold the sporting spirit and to discourage any such behavior by teams in future.
However, there are certain things regarding the action that the committee, and ANFA as the governing body of football, should be able to answer. The first, and the most important one, is regarding the justness and the process of the decision taken. That the the action is biased merely because an ANFA official is shot of enemy of the club is illogical, particularly because he holds no position in the Disciplinary Committee. But the contention that the club was not given any opportunity to clarify holds water.
ANFA has defended the decision, saying that the decision was taken as per the tournament regulations and signed by all participating clubs. Any action, even a minor one against a player or an official, should only be taken through a judicial procedure which should give an opportunity to the individual or the club in question to put forward a defense. And, equally important is that after an action, the individual or the club should be given a chance to appeal against the decision. This is globally established judicial procedure.
ANFA should also ensure that the Disciplinary Committee has at least an independent member, preferably someone trained in law, to ensure fair decision through fair procedure. All four members of the committee are associated with ANFA, and although they have done the best thing by having people without any affiliation to any club, it´s necessary to include someone independent of the board.
The clubs, before signing the regulations, should also ensure that they are signing something that does not contradict with established sporting and judicial principles.
The action against Gyan Bhairav Club was necessary to uphold the sporting spirit, but ANFA should ensure that such actions are fair and taken through established judicial principles that is, only after giving individuals and clubs an opportunity to clarify
