AIFF bans Hyderabad FC from registering new players
The player status committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has banned Hyderabad FC from registering any new players, both domestically and internationally, for failing to pay the salary of former Indian international defender Adil Khan.
Khan had a three-year contract with Hyderabad, which began in June 2020. In February 2023, he sent a notice to the club stating that he had not been paid his full salary for the months of September 2022 to January 2023. He also reminded the club that he could terminate the contract if his wages were not paid for two months. After that, he sent a 15-day notice to the club.
When the club failed to pay his wages, Khan filed a complaint with the AIFF.
Godfrey Pereira, chairman of the player status committee, said: “Due to the repeated failures of the Respondent (Hyderabad FC) to pay the dues on time, the committee is of the view that this is an aggravated form of offence. Thus, under article 14.1 of the Regulations, the Respondent will be banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the entire two registration periods which will take effect immediately.”
The ban will be lifted as soon as the club pays all the remaining dues. However, Hyderabad FC has already appealed against the order.
The transfer ban will create difficulties for Hyderabad FC. They were previously banned by FIFA since November 2022 due to contract issues with Spanish midfielder Nestor Gordillo. This ban led to no new signings in the January transfer window for the Black-Yellows.
As a result of the ban, Hyderabad FC has not been able to register their new signings of Makan Chote, Petteri Pennanen, Joe Knowles, Jonathan Moya, and Vignesh Dakshinamurthy.
The club will need to pay Khan’s dues as soon as possible if they want to lift the ban and be able to register new players. If they do not pay the dues, the ban could be extended.
The ban is a reminder of the importance of clubs paying their players on time. It is also a reminder of the power of the AIFF to punish clubs that do not comply with its rules.
