The All India Football Federation today lifted the life ban imposed on Uttar Pradesh Santosh Trophy captain Naseem Akhtar who was handed the punishment by his state association for asking better facilities for his team members.
The Disciplinary Committee of the AIFF which met here with N A Khan at the chair "unanimously" decided to lift the ban on Akhtar who early this year had demanded better facilities for players like AC-III train travel for Santosh Trophy instead of sleeper class, among others.
"It was unanimously decided that the life-ban imposed on Naseem Akhtar by the Uttar Pradesh Football Sangh be lifted as it does not fall under the 'ambit of the Articles of Corruption' in Section 6 of Article 63 or Section 10 of Article 70 which states 'unlawfully influencing match results'," the AIFF said in a release.
The Committee also found that the complaints of alleged racism made by Shillong Lajong's Cornell Glen and Sporting Clube de Goa's Boima Karpeh could not proved.
"The Committee reflected at length the alleged racism complaints of Shillong Lajong's World Cupper Cornell Glen and Sporting Clube de Goa's Boima Karpeh. While Cornell had accused Pune FC's Mumtaz Akhtar, Karpeh had complained about Collin Abranches. But both the complaints could not be proved," the release said.
AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das, Babu Mather, Advocate Krishnendu Banerjee, Anil Kshatriya, B K Roka and Rakesh Bakshi were also present at the meeting.
