Would have appreciated if AMFA had consulted relevant Departments: YAS Director
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 04 2020: The Director of the Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of Manipur has stated the Directorate would have appreciated the approach of All Manipur Football Association if the association had consulted Department of Home/ Health/ YAS.

The Director in response to the recent statements of All Manipur Football Association (AMFA) in local leading dailies, sent out a clarification note saying that the AMFA should bear all the responsibilities in the event the bio-bubble proposed by the association burst.

Insisting to hold the said tournaments as scheduled, the AMFA had reacted to YAS intervention to cancel the said tournament earlier.

The AMFA had stated that YAS has no control on the functioning of the association and has no right to decide on the matters of the association.

The association had also issued measures for successful conduct of the tournaments including adoption of bio-bubble as approved by the All Indian Football Association.

The Director after perusing all the statements of AMFA, highlighted that the State is under the purview of National Disaster Management Act 2005 and the State Disaster Management Authority owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And as such the executive committee of the State Disaster Management Authority is issuing Standard Operating Procedures from time to time after consulting with concerned Departments.

It is thus advisable for the AMFA to consult all the concerned Departments before announcing the schedule for all the tournaments, the Director said while adding that the SOPs the association drafted also need to be approved by the Home Department/Health Department/Youth Affairs and Sports Department (YAS).

Admitting the AMFA is not under YAS Department, the Director said that it is a body registered under the Co-Operative Societies Act and it is thus answerable to the Government of Manipur.

Moreover, as YAS has been assisting them financially and providing logistics to the AMFA, YAS feels that AMFA should cooperate with the Government, the Director said.

The YAS Department acknowledged the role of All Manipur Football Association in promoting and developing football in the region, but at this moment we need to focus on health and safety for all, the Director continued.

The Director further clarified that the decision of the YAS Department to direct the AMFA to defer/cancel the Manipur State League and Women's League was taken after examining the memorandum submitted to YAS Minister by the participating teams and considering the safety of the players and the officials.

The YAS Department is aware that AMFA is a registered body and not a Government body, but this does not mean that AMFA can do whatever they wish, the Director said.

At this crucial juncture, AMFA needs to take permission from all the stakeholders for conducting the tournament, the Director said while adding that the Department would have appreciated AMFA if it had consulted with the Department of Home/Health/YAS instead of 'mud throwing' .

The Director also reiterated that AIFF had already cancelled all the matches of Hero Youth League 2020-21 and other big tournaments.

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