Shillong, Mar 31: Malki SC are not going to take their one-year ban from the Shillong Premier League lying down, if the words of people tied to the club are anything to go by.
Malki were slapped with the ban earlier this month. It came about due to post-match violence that followed their defeat in SPL 2018’s Eliminator match against Rangdajied United.
The ban means that Malki will have to miss SPL 2019. However, if they want to participate in 2020’s edition of the tournament, they will be forced to first pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh, 10% of which will go to Wahlang and the remaining 90% into a referees fund. If Malki refuse to pay the fine, they will rejoin local football through the Shillong Sports Association’s lowest division.
However, Malki are planning to challenge the ban, either through the courts or through some other method, TSR has heard.
The club is likely to argue that as security is the responsibility of the SSA and because their was no security presence at the ground, Malki can’t be held responsible for the violence that ensued. Malki players and officials also threw themselves into the fray to protect the referee from the fans who were furious with some of the decisions he made in the game.
Would these arguments hold up in a court of law? We’ll have to wait and find out.
(TSR file photo)
