Indian men’s football team’s defender Anwar Ali has been banned for four months by the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Players’ Statue Committee (PSC) after the defender unilaterally terminated his playing contract.
Anwar Ali was loaned by Delhi FC on a four-year loan deal to Mohun Bagan Super Giant but the defender, during the off-season, unilaterally terminated his contract with Mohun Bagan Super Giant and signed a new contract with Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s arch-rivals East Bengal FC.
Anwar prematurely terminated his contract with Mohun Bagan Super Giant through an email and further signed a five-year deal with East Bengal.
The AIFF’s Regulation for Status and Transfer of Players rules state that a contract between a player and a club may only be terminated upon expiry of the term of the contract or by mutual agreement. In Anwar’s case, it wasn’t either but the contract was terminated by the player himself.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant opposed the new contract and said the player’s move was illegal and included him in the Calcutta Football League squad.
With the player, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Delhi FC approaching the AIFF’s PSC, a historic judgement was delivered on Tuesday, banning the player for four months.
Additionally, both East Bengal FC and Delhi FC have been banned from registering any new players for the next two transfer windows, starting January 2025. The bans mean both East Bengal FC and Delhi FC cannot sign any new players in the 2024-25 winter and 2025-26 summer transfer windows.
The PSC also ordered Anwar Ali, East Bengal and Delhi FC to pay Mohun Bagan Super Giant a compensation of INR 12.9 crore for the overall saga. The INR 12.9 crore compensation includes INR 8.40 crore for the residual value of the contract, INR 2 crore already paid to Delhi FC under loan agreement and INR 2.50 crore for other ‘damages suffered by the club.’
Anwar Ali is banned from the date of the issuance of the PSC’s order for a period of four months. He recently played for India in the Intercontinental Cup that was held in Hyderabad.
The PSC had earlier said the loan termination was ‘without a just cause’ but said the player can sign for a new club at his own risk. After the PSC’s order, he was unveiled as an East Bengal player.
