Football
I-league 2021-22: Rajasthan United alleges RoundGlass Punjab of fielding ineligible player
After playing with only 9 men in their I-League debut, Rajasthan alleges Punjab of fielding ineligible players
The newest I-League entrants Rajasthan United FC have put forward a formal request of disciplinary action against RoundGlass Punjab FC. The protest was made against the presence of RGFC player Robin Singh in their opening encounter on December 26.
Robin was named in the Punjab squad list for the game although he did not make it to the field. It was later reported that Robin was facing suspension from his last match for Real Kashmir FC and could not be included in the squad. Adding to that the player received a red card in the 68th minute in the game itself.
"Robin Singh is on a Red Card in his last Match when he played for Real Kashmir. He can't sit on the substitution bench according to his previous red card. We already submitted our protest to the Match Committee. Maybe RUFC will get the 3 points. They told us to wait for 48 hours" a source close to the club told The Bridge.
To support their cause, Rajasthan United FC submitted an example of a similar circumstance from 2016. It has happened so, FIFA had penalized the Indian Football for fielding Eugeneson Lyngdoh against Iran in their World Cup qualifying match. Lyngdoh was serving a suspension after picking up two yellows in his previous match.
"India was found guilty of letting midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh play, despite the player picking up two yellow cards in his two previous matches. According to FIFA rules, any player guilty of such an offence is suspended from the subsequent match."
"The All India Football Federation has been hit with a fine of CHF 6000 (Rs 4.04 lakh) and it has been declared that they forfeited the match to Iran. India had lost that match 3-0 to Iran, but it will now go down as a "no contest", " the testimonial article read.
Rajasthan United was dealt with a dire situation previously itself the same day when they could only field nine players with no substitution following AIFF's registration policy.
Despite the shortcoming, the debutante club remains optimistic about its campaign in the league.
"We are excited for the League & ready for all challenges. We have Warrior's mentality so whatever the situation is we are ready."
"It's difficult for the team to gel up in this short time of span because we only have 20 days for the pre-season. Even in those 20 days, all players are not played together."
"But now the team is slowly getting in shape & we have many leaders in the squad who also motivate the squad."
Rajasthan United FC will play their next game on January 5th with a full squad against Aizawl FC in the hope to bag their first win.