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Tamil Nadu is one of those states in the country which does not have a common football league. In the absence of a league or competition organised by the Tamil Nadu Football Association (TNFA), leagues in cities like Chennai and Madurai hold utmost importance for footballers from the state.
The Chennai Football Association's (CFA) Senior Division is extremely special in that regard because it has been the breeding ground for almost every talent that has come up from the South Indian state.
It has been running for a long time (even before independence) under the stewardship of CFA and is the only properly-organised league in the state.
Forget the past. From the current crop of players, the likes of Dharmaraj Ravanan, Michael Soosairaj, Edwin Vanspaul, Michael Regin and Nandhakumar Sekar are all players who proved their mettle in the CFA Senior Division before getting their chance to gain national prominence.
However, for the last three years, the CFA Senior Division has not been held, dealing a major blow to the dreams and aspirations of countless local players who rely on the competition to impress scouts and get a break in their career.
Regin, an ISL winner with ATK last season, had this to say to Goal in a recent interview - "Chennai league is the first step for many local players. I played both second, first and then played senior division. It gives a lot of exposure to local players. Nobody would have known me If I’d not played there.
"I don't understand what is happening but a lot of players are suffering. Everybody cannot play for Chennai City FC and come up. They cannot give a chance to every player. There needs to be the league in the city. It is such an important part for a Tamil Nadu player."
The reason for the discontinuance of the league is a legal spat between CFA and TNFA. The state body took the district body to court in 2018 after opposing the elections held by the CFA that year. Chennai City owner Rohit Ramesh was elected as President but the state body filed a case saying the Secretary E Sugumaran was ineligible to contest the elections.
The legal wrangle has left the CFA without a rudder for more than two years and as a result, the Senior Division league has not run since. Not only did the spat bring the footballing activities in Chennai to a standstill, TNFA reportedly went as far as cutting the electricity connection to the CFA office at one point.
After seeing literally no progress and no intent to foster the sport in the state because of the impasse, Rohit Ramesh even offered to resign from the CFA, only for the Secretary to turn the resignation down.
The spat has permeated all aspects of the footballing administration in the state with TNFA accused of delaying and creating roadblocks for entities and clubs associated with the CFA.
The Madras High Court had to intervene in August 2019, appointing an ad-hoc committee to ensure the CFA Senior Division at least is held in 2020. However, even the court's directive has not produced any results despite efforts to start the registration process in January 2020 by the court-appointed committee.
Rohit Ramesh feels that because he belongs to the opposing camp, as per TNFA, they manufacture difficulties and create unnecesary red tape when it comes documentation and other procedures that involve his I-League club Chennai City FC.
"It (the Senior Division) has not been happening for the last three years. When you got an entity fighting case after case in the court, nothing happens. Then there are the ego clashes," he told Goal.
"For instance, when we have to get some certificate for our licensing procedure, it has been tough because they know that we are from CFA and they try to delay it. They bring politics into it. You supported this or that (against us) and why should we help you. It’s not working out."
In fact, Goal was privy to a recent telephonic conversation between a Chennai City official and J. Jesiah Villavarayar, a senior TNFA official. The club official's requests for an affiliation document needed for the club licensing procedure which was initiated by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was met with a rude 'no'.
The official cited the ongoing lockdown as a reason for his inability to furnish the document. But the polite request for even an e-mail acknowledgement of the fact that TNFA are unable to do so fell on deaf ears as Jesiah asks the club official to take it up with the AIFF.
Under such trying circumstances, Rohit feels it is beyond CFA's ability to hold a league that means so much to the development of football in the city and the state. He feels that only an AIFF intervention can resolve the issue at hand in the near future.
"To be very honest, it is highly unlikely that the league will happen until and unless the AIFF intervenes. If you ask me, they should put an ad-hoc committee to help both associations sort out their differences.Till then, a representative from AIFF should take over the running of the league. That would be the only way the league might restart, if you ask me."
Not every local player can get a chance at Chennai City or Chennaiyin FC - the two clubs from the state playing in the national competitions. The CFA Senior Division is a huge event in the players' calendars and right now, they are being denied that chance by egoistic administrative tussles.
The Indian FA have made some noise recently about handing more responsibility including the organisation of youth leagues to the state associations. In Tamil Nadu's case, the priority for AIFF should be to sort out this issue that is threatening to stall the progress and development of the sport.
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