Kerala Blasters temporarily pauses their women’s football team

Kerala Blasters suspended their women’s football team after the men’s team received fines from AIFF for the walkout decision.

The ISL side hit a new low with their controversial decision of walking out of the pitch during the playoff match against Bengaluru FC in March by ending their activities with the women’s team temporarily. The club put out a statement suggesting the AIFF’s financial sanction for the incident in March forced them to take the decision. Understandably, it did not go well with the fan base and football fraternity because it exposed the treatment of women in football in the country.

The board slapped a fine of ₹4 crores on the club for their unsporting decision to leave the pitch midway through a game and abandon it. The situation happened after the officials awarded a goal scored by Sunil Chhetri from a free-kick which the Tuskers appealed to AIFF for its legitimacy. Additionally, coach Ivan Vukomanovic received a ₹5 lakhs fine as well as a 10-man ban from the touchline. Kerala Blasters insisted those punishments imposed had massive financial constraints.

Must Read | Kerala Blasters appeal rejected by Committee

Blasters pause women’s team

Kerala Blasters started their women's division only a year ago in 2022 and played the Kerala Women’s League. The Tuskers finished a promising third place behind winners Lords FA and Gokulam Kerala, who won the national division for the third straight time, in their first season. Yet, before they could build on a successful debut season the club pulled the plug on their activities not for something they have done.

Blasters’ management said on Wednesday, ‘It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the temporary pause of our Women’s Team. This decision has been necessitated by the recent financial sanctions imposed on our club by the football federation. While we respect the authority and decisions of the federation, we cannot deny our disappointment at the impact it is likely to have across various functions of our Club.  

This year the Club had plans for increased investments in our women’s team. These investments included a first-of-a-kind foreign pre-season tour accompanying our Men’s Team, player exchanges, exposure tours, and so much more. However, the financial sanctions have presented us with an unfortunate challenge. As a Club, we must prioritize the more immediate objectives and long-term financial stability.’

The club went on to stress that they have only temporality paused the activities of the women’s team and remain steadfast in commitment to fostering equality, inclusivity, and opportunities for all athletes. They expressed gratitude for the women’s team members and share the frustrations of the supporters.    

Reception

Obviously, there could not have been any positive reaction to news like this. Criticism was thrown towards Kerala Blasters’ management for the ill-doings of the men’s team that caused the burnt on the women’s side. There were also unconfirmed reports of the club deciding to shut operations of the women’s team way earlier than the walkout incident. All have now stripped the players from their source of income and they have to jump wagon to other clubs for pursuing their careers.

The women’s national team goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan was among the first high-profile names to respond. She stated that how the fine Blasters are to pay the board for the men’s team’s actions was cultivated from the women’s team budget forcing it to shut down.

So the men’s team gets a fine for what they did and the money comes from the women’s team budget by shutting it down? Great, that’s how women’s football will develop in india. Horrible! https://t.co/0Wxh4xM6Ht

The news was so seismic that Sweden Women’s team footballer and legend Hedvig Lindahl got involved asking for more respect for women’s football.

When will women's football be fully respected? https://t.co/IkQa7czdzq

Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard also pointed out that if the funding is not reserved independently for either gender division of a football club, there is no point in creating a women’s team. So that, they are not affected by the sign of financial troubles for the club.

If you have a women’s team, that funding should be ring-fenced. You shouldn’t start a women’s team and then just ditch it at the first sign of financial trouble. It’s not a luxury or a piece of PR - it should be a long-term commitment. Every club should understand this. https://t.co/b7QQvCEhJ2

Other stated that sponsors and brand should think twice about extending the partnership with a club that take such drastic measures for completely their own fault. There is also an urge for women’s football to not be treated as a side thing and anything on the other front should not interfere with or shut down activities even if temporarily going forward.