Suvendu Adhikari lodges complaint against soccer club officials for poll campaigning

Kolkata, Nov 4 (IANS) West Bengal Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari on Monday wrote to Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Mansukh Mandviya complaining against the officials of three rival football clubs as well as the Indian Football Association (IFA)’s secretary of unethically campaigning for the Trinamool Congress candidate in the bypolls for Naihati constituency in North 24 Paragans district.

“In an unprecedented and unethical move, some top Officials of Football & Sporting Clubs like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting have endorsed TMC Candidate Sanat Dey for the upcoming Assembly by-elections in Naihati. Even more surprisingly, the Secretary of West Bengal State Football`s Governing Body; IFA (Indian Football Association); Anirban Dutta also released a video message on social media which can be construed as an endorsement in Sanat Dey's favour before the election,” read the letter from Adhikari.

In the letter, he also pointed out that the political endorsements had been posted by Trinamool Congress in the form of a video posted on the wall of the party’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle earlier in the day.

“I believe that such brazen political endorsement by people holding important administrative positions in sporting clubs and governing bodies is an unfair tactic to associate the clubs' and governing body's name with the candidate, which is outright unsportsmanlike and also in violation of the code of conduct for such sporting institutions,” the letter from the leader of the opposition read further.

In the letter, the LoP has also pointed out that even FIFA, the top governing body of world football not only insists that political messaging in football is not allowed but comes down heavily on the offenders with strict fines and penalties.

"Therefore, I would like to request you to kindly take cognisance of the issue and kindly contact and inquire regarding the same. The people who want to unethically drag a spot into political field property political and personal games must be excluded from holding important positions in sports administration," the letter read.

Naihati, along with five other assembly constituencies in West Bengal are going for bypolls on November 13. The counting will be on November 23.

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