#GoaExit: Suspended FC Goa co-owners Dempo & Salgaocar may give up stake, says report
THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING FC Goa received a fresh and major twist when a report emerged that two of its co-owners, Srinivas Dempo and Dattaraj Salgaocar, may give up their stakes in the ISL franchise to safeguard its 2016 campaign.
In the 2015 edition of the ISL private tournament, FC Goa lost the final to Chennaiyin FC. After the match, allegation broke out that Chennaiyin's Elano Blumer had assaulted Dattaraj Salgaocar and the whole FC Goa contingent boycotted the final prize distribution ceremony, and Elano was arrested by the local police for the alleged physical attack.
Later, after videographic evidence emerged that Elano was not to blame, the ISL Regulatory Committee imposed a fine of Rs 11 crore on FC Goa, deducted 15 points from its upcoming ISL 2016 campaign, and also fined its co-owners Dattaraj Salgaocar and Srinivas Dempo along with a 2 year personal ban on both of them from all ISL events.
FC Goa have appealed the ban and the hearing is about to take place, but things have not been looking so bright for the franchise. And now, a report in Times of India claims that in order to get the appeal judge to drop the point deduction both Mr Dempo and Salgaocar have decided to give up their stakes (a total 65%) to a new co-owner. The rest of the stakes are controlled by Videocon and cricketer Virat Kohli.
While this may help lessen the sentence on the franchise, it raises wider concerns about Indian football, especially because Srinivas Dempo happens to be one of the AIFF Vice Presidents and the owner of an I-League club Dempo SC, which is rumoured to be joining the protest-exit from the top division league that the two other major clubs from Goa - Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa - started.
Dempo selling stakes in FC Goa could also mean the end to the franchise's close relationship with Dempo SC, which creates the possibility that the club will not merge with FC Goa once I-League and ISL are merged next season; which means its from I-League may create another permanent hole in the Indian football landscape.
