Controversy continued to surround the Super Cup as Aizawl and Gokulam Kerala did not attend their pre-match press conference at Bhubaneshwar’s Kalinga Stadium on Friday. Minerva Punjab, which had announced its withdrawal on Thursday, maintained its stand and did not take the ground against FC Pune City.
Aizawl is scheduled to play Chennaiyin FC while Gokulam Kerala is set to clash with Delhi Dynamos on Saturday, but both matches seem unlikely to take place.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das, said the developments did not augur well for Indian football. “It’s very sad. Whatever the issue, it can be discussed. Walking out of a tournament is crazy. The whole thing is about football and they’re walking out of a football tournament,” he told Sportstar.
When asked if the AIFF had reached out to the clubs to ensure their participation, he said: “Why should we reach out to the clubs all the time? The clubs are associated with State associations and are not affiliated to the AIFF.
“Why should we reach out to the clubs all the time? We have created tournaments for them and they should come and play. If they don’t want to play, we'll decide what to do with them.”