Players Status Committee: Tuboi was eligible for Lajong

The AIFF's Player's Status Committee met today at Football House in Dwarka, New Delhi to decide on a number of pending issues with the big issue being the status of Shillong Lajong FC striker Saikhohao Tuboi.


The AIFF decided the following on Tuboi:

It was held that player Saikhohao Tuboi was eligible to play for Shillong Lajong FC during the 2010/11 season. He was not eligible to play for Army XI in the IFA League (Calcutta Football League) during the 2010/11 season. Tuboi has been suspended by the AIFF on the PSC's preliminary findings on 06.05.2011. Therefore he is not eligible to play for any team w.e.f 06.05.2011. The period of his suspension to be finalised by the AIFF Executive Committee.

Other PSC decisions were:

- It was also held that the players who played for East Bengal Under-19 team were eligible to play as they were cleared by IFA on the basis of the directives from the AIFF.

- The Committee further made the following recommendations to the Executive Committee in relation to Players playing for any Services or Railways team(s):

"The PSC recommends to the Executive Committee of the AIFF to alert all State Associations to obtain a declaration from any player registering with it for Services or Railway team(s) that he/she is not registered with any other State Association. Where such declaration is not made the normal procedure of inter-state transfer should be followed. And such Services or Railway team(s) shall thereafter be deemed on par with other clubs within the State Associations."

Shillong Lajong face Tuboi troubles

Did Shillong Lajong FC (un)knowingly play a player who has been attached to another team during the ongoing season? The concerned player is Lajong striker Saikhohao Tuboi, who has been suspended by the AIFF after the federation received reports that Tuboi had played for an Army side in the Calcutta Football League before rejoining Lajong FC later in the season.

And there is utter confusion on who the player is contracted to. Interestingly Tuboi is registered with the Meghalaya FA as well as the Indian Football Association (West Bengal) as he has played for both Lajong and Army during this season.

It becomes even more confusing as the IFA allowed Tuboi to play for the Army team in the Calcutta Football League, while he then later played for Lajong FC in the IFA Shield.

The Meghalaya FA say that Tuboi has been registered with them as a Lajong player since 2009, but it is unclear how a player can play in Kolkata without an inter-state transfer or taking a loan move.

The AIFF has suspended Tuboi, but as the protest lodged by Southern Samity was too late Lajong will not face any action for possibly fielding an ineligible player. Tuboi has been scoring goals for Lajong, so it will be interesting to see what the AIFF does as participating clubs are already saying the federation is favouring the local sides by playing in Shillong especially Lajong FC and this latest affair won't be to their liking either.

And the two state FA's have to answer questions on how a player can be registered with two state FA's at the same time.