Rift reaches a flash point

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The simmering rift between the President, Ravikumar David, backed by a majority of the Executive Committee members, and the Secretary, E. Sugumaran, in the Chennai Football Association (CFA) has reached a flash point.

On Saturday, a Special Executive Committee meeting, called by David decided to take away Suguraman’s role as Secretary and hand over his work to the two Assistant Secretaries, P.M. Radhakrishnan and S. Kantharaj.

According to observers, whether the president is constitutionally empowered to call such a meeting and take action appear debatable. David claimed he had the powers when the majority in the EC wanted it, while Mr Sugumaran claimed, as the chief executive of the association, he had not been given a notice and as per the CFA constitution only he could call the meeting.

In this midst, of claims and counter-claims, lies another sour chapter of disenchantment in the activities in the association that now promise to end up in another stalemate or invite action from the State body.

The present set of office-bearers too had taken charge of the association less than a year ago after discordant acts that had led to intervention of the state body.

While the differences have been on for a few months now with the key members unhappy with the way the secretary had been going about “without taking the EC into confidence,” Suguaram claimed that whatever he had done had been for the good of the sport only.

What led to the latest situation supposedly was the way the final day’s programme in the St. Joseph’s senior division league was conducted on February 15.

“I was told about it at the last minute when I was already committed to attending another important meeting. Many other EC members were unaware of the programme,” David said, annoyed that the secretary should have taken a decision on his own.

“Such things have been going on for some time,” he added. THE HINDU