Who won the Delhi Soccer Association league last year?

NEW DELHI: A football tournament takes place next to the Feroz Shah Kotla cricket ground - at the lesser-visited Ambedkar stadium - every year. It is organised by the state football's governing body

Delhi Soccer Association

(DSA).

The last edition of this senior division league, which was till some years ago a hugely popular event in the city's annual sports calendar, ended on September 6, 2015.

Garhwal Heroes

had won on points but the result was withheld after some clubs complained about the club fielding an ineligible player.

Strangely , the winners are still awaiting the trophy , and the prize money .Even the association's election have been delayed, prompting several stakeholders to allege that it is deliberate attempt to maintain status quo. According to sources, the president of DSA, Subhash Chopra, is aware of his falling stature among the league's members and is not keen on staging an election.

It was learnt that 31of the 75 members of DSA signed a document to call for an election via an Extraordinary General Body Meeting. If one-third members sign, a month is given to convene the meeting under the DSA's constitution. Come Sunday, that time will elapse.

"Subhash (Chopra) is aware that members of the committee are unhappy with the state of affairs. He is trying to delay the elections till 2017 as he wants to enjoy the benefits of being in power during the 2017 Under-17

FIFA

World Cup. If he loses his position here, he will automatically be ousted from the post of AIFF vice-president," a source said.

Another source said that Chopra's good relations with AIFF president

Praful Patel

means no action will be taken against DSA, despite repeated reminders being sent out to the country's leading football body. "With the AIFF elections slated for December, Patel knows how important his allies will be in getting re-elected. He doesn't want to risk his position by meddling in the affairs of DSA."

When contacted by TOI, Subhash Chopra, who was driving at the time, said he would get back soon. He returned the call promptly. "I thought it was something important," was his immediate response when asked whether the winners of DSA would be announced soon.


"We will reach a decision soon," he said with a chuckle, before doling out an invitation to meet some time, "fursat mein". "The thing is, Mr Bhatia (one of the six vice presidents of the association) was unwell for 5-6 months. Do you expect us to worry about such things when someone is on his death bed?" Chopra said.

NK Bhatia is one of 22 members in the executive committee. On February 28, he had told TOI that he had recovered from his illness and the winners would be declared soon. Members of the executive committee also feel that there is lack of transparency in the way the working of DSA's treasurer Hem Chand. One of association's vice presidents, Sharafatullah, has even written regarding this the DSA's secretary Syed Saheen. There has been no response yet.


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