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According to Times of India (TOI), Kerala Blasters FC have imposed a fine of INR 1 crore on coach Ivan Vukomanovic for leading a walkout against Bengaluru FC in last season’s Indian Super League (ISL).
Although the club didn’t officially announce the figures, it was disclosed in their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF). However, the appeal was later dismissed in March 2024.
According to TOI, in the appeal, Kerala Blasters FC stated that they opened an internal investigation and put a fine on their coach.
“… club opened an internal investigation and sanctioned the coach with a fine of USD 120,000 which demonstrates that the club took the incident seriously and took relevant measures.”
After CAS turned down Kerala Blasters’ appeal, they were imposed a fine of INR 4 crore by the AIFF, which also covered the federation’s legal expenses. Furthermore, AIFF’s disciplinary committee had accused Vukomanovic of “bringing the game into disrepute”.
While dismissing Kerala Blasters’ appeal, CAS noted that the club “considers the behaviour of its own coach who led the abandonment of the match to be a serious offence.”
“The club set a dangerous precedent with its behaviour. If such behaviour is not sanctioned properly with a deterrent sanction, such behaviour might occur again in future matches,” Arbitrator Benoit Pasquier said in the order.
Ivan Vukomanovic parted ways with Kerala Blasters FC last month
Notably, Vukomanovic led the walkout after instructing the team to leave the field after Sunil Chhetri converted a free-kick in the 97th minute to hand Bengaluru FC a 1-0 lead after the game ended 0-0 after regulation time.
Kerala Blasters, led by Adrian Luna and coached by Vukomanovic, weren't happy with the goal as they believed that Sunil Chhetri took the free-kick before the referee blew his whistle, and the players were not ready.
Vukomanovic parted ways with the Kerala Blasters FC in April 2024 after an impressive three-year stint during which he propelled the club to the final of the ISL 2022-23 season.
