Gokulam Kerala removed from AFC women’s club championships

Gokulam Kerala women’s squad, which was disqualified from the AFC Women’s Club Championships as a result of India’s FIFA ban, will fly back to its home country on Monday from Uzbekistan. The 23-member team, led by India captain Ashalata Devi, arrived in the capital of Uzbekistan on August 16; however, they were stuck in Tashkent for six days until the news of the FIFA ban on the AIFF reached India on that same day.

The winner of the Indian Women’s League, Gokulam, was scheduled to play against Sogdiana-W on August 23 and Iranian team Bam Khatoon FC on August 26 at Qarshi.

“Yes, it is confirmed. The sports ministry has told us that its request to FIFA and AFC to allow us play in the AFC Women’s Club Championships has been refused. So, we are not playing. The organisers have also told us that we can’t play,” Gokulam Kerala president VC Praveen told PTI.

“We were trying for the players to return home on Sunday but there is no flight from Tashkent to India. The earliest flight is on Monday, so we are trying for the players to return home on Monday or Tuesday,” he added.

The players had already departed for the competition when the suspension was announced, according to Praveen, who said that the AFC should have permitted his club to compete in the championships.

According to him, the club would ask the AFC to reimburse it for the thousands of rupees it spent on the players’ lodging and transport.

The club had written to the Prime Minister and the sports ministry to ask for assistance.

The Gokulam Kerala planned matches that were previously available on the AFC website have likewise been taken down.