Chaos in I-League: TRAU, NEROCA refuse to play Aizwal FC

In the never-ending drama of Indian football, two Manipuri clubs, TRAU FC and NEROCA FC, have refused to play the away game against Aizwal FC.

The Mizoram-based club took to social media to announce the match's cancellation. While the reasons given by the Manipuri clubs are security concerns, the Aizwal FC management refuted any such claims, stating that many players from Manipur play in our state without worry.

"The security reasons are not the right thing to say. They are saying that we don't want to travel to Aizawl due to the Manipur conflict, but we have people from Manipur playing here, and it hasn't been a problem," a source close to the development told The Bridge.

To put it in context, Manipur has witnessed violence since last year due to fighting between the Kuki and Meitei communities. Both clubs fear traveling to Aizawl due to the presence of the Kuki community in the city. Both clubs have also played their home games at neutral grounds due to the violence.

AIFF proposes a conflicting solution

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has asked Aizawl FC to either play on neutral ground (Guwahati, Kolkata, or Shillong) or share points in case of a forfeiture of the clash.

Aizawl FC has denied both options, citing them as unfair to their team. "The club at the moment is not ready to move out of their home stadium," the source confirmed.

Aizawl FC wants the matches to proceed as per schedule or to be awarded the walkover and three points instead of one point.

There has been no resolution proposed thus far in this conflict, leaving NEROCA and TRAU in relegation positions while Aizawl FC holds ninth place.