No lifeline for Manora, club relegated from Pro League

Panaji: Youth Club of Manora’s hopes of continuing in the state’s top-flight for the third consecutive season came crashing down on Tuesday when the Goa Football Association decided to relegate them from the Goa Professional League.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the GFA were lenient on relegation and allowed Sesa Football Academy to continue in the Pro League, despite finishing at the bottom in 2020-21.

Sesa used the opportunity and finished fifth last season, while Manora finished at the bottom of the relegation league in 2021-22.

The GFA initially announced that the decision to relegate Manora was “kept in abeyance”. However, the GFA executive committee which met at the headquarters in Panaji on Tuesday decided in enforcing relegation.

It may be recalled that Manora, a First Division side back then, had come forward to take part in the Pro League after teams had backed out due to financial crunch during the pandemic.

Officials from GFA and Manora did not respond to calls.

The GFA failed to conduct the First Division league yet again last season.

The Goa Pro League, which sent shockwaves in India due to alleged match-fixing in the past couple of seasons, is likely to start next month. The state body, however, is yet to recover Rs 14 lakhs which are pending from their title sponsors.

“The statement of accounts and audit report was presented in the meeting. They have now decided to write to the sponsors about the payments,” a source told TOI.

The GFA’s competition committee will meet in the coming days to finalise the calendar for the 2022-23 season and present it to the executive committee for approval during their next meeting.

The executive committee meeting was lengthy and many other important issues like finalisation of agenda for the annual general body meeting, nomination of representative to the Goa Olympic Association, nomination of representative to the All India Football Federation could not be taken up.