Kerala Blasters FC have filed an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the AIFF disciplinary committee slapped the club with a ₹4 crore fine for abandoning their ISL playoff match against Bengaluru FC earlier in the year in March. All documents have been submitted and it appears that the Blasters might be able to get a hearing if things go well.
For the unversed, the AIFF disciplinary committee, back in April, held Kerala Blasters responsible for the walkout they staged against eventual finalists Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on March 3, 2023. After a quick free-kick was scored by Sunil Chhetri in extra time, the Blasters walked off the pitch as demanded by their manager Ivan Vukomanovic.
Kerala Blasters believed that the referee, Crystal John, did not blow the whistle and allow their defenders to form a wall to try and defend the dead-ball opportunity presented to Bengaluru FC.
To this day, several Kerala Blasters supporters believe that the referee was unfair in allowing India and Bengaluru FC captain Chhetri to take the quick free-kick, which ended up in the back of the net as a result of the Blasters players being disoriented and not yet ready to resume their places on the pitch.
Kerala Blasters head coach Ivan Vukomanovic, who was accused of the offense of abandonment and bringing the game into disrepute, and instigating the team for discontinuing the encounter, was also penalized with a 10-match suspension from all AIFF-held tournaments. He was also fined ₹5 lakh.
AIFF had turned down an appeal by Kerala Blasters earlier
It is well known that Kerala Blasters had appealed against the punishment earlier but the AIFF Appeals Committee had emphatically turned it down and asked the club to pay the fine.
Now, they have appealed against this punishment at the Lausanne, Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is the world's premier forum for resolving sporting disputes.
It is also widely reported that fighting legal battles at the CAS is now much cheaper than it was in the past. Also, the owners of Kerala Blasters have businesses in Europe, so it will not be difficult for them to figure out ways to have the legal issues sorted.
