East Bengal declared IFA Shield winners

The Indian Football Association on Friday declared East Bengal winners of the 107th IFA Shield football tournament after ruling Palmeiras disqualified for gross indiscipline in the October 7 final in Calcutta.

"The tournament committee members took the unanimous decision after seeing video footage of the incident, followed by a threadbare discussion on the issue," IFA joint secretary Ranjit Gupta told reporters.

"The video footage showed that Palmeiras players and officials had behaved in a most indisciplined manner," Gupta said.

He said the IFA would write to world governing body FIFA about the misbehaviour of the Palmeiras players and officials.

"We will send the video clippings of the incident to FIFA," Gupta said.

Asked how the IFA would defend itself if Palmeiras lodge a complaint with FIFA, Gupta said: "If FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation have any query we will answer."

Gupta, who briefed the media after an hour-long meeting of the tournament committee, said the Brazilian players had refused to return to the ground even after repeated requests from the IFA and match officials.

The final was abandoned 35 minutes into the first half after the two teams came to blows at the Salt Lake stadium, with the visitors ahead 1-0.

Several Brazillian and East Bengal players were injured in the clashes and subsequent police action.

Palmeiras, who declared themselves champions, left for home on October 8 with a symbolic trophy bought from the local market, threatening to move FIFA on the incident.

The tournament committee, which met hours after the Brazilian team left, failed to arrive at a decision, describing the reports of Match Commissioner K M Krishnamurty and referee P Bhaskar as "inadequate".

The committee members then viewed the video footage on October 10 and accused the Brazillian side of instigating violence on the ground.

Asked how the IFA officials could enter the ground during the ball controversy a few minutes before violence erupted, Gupta said: "A number of persons had entered, but I immediately directed them to leave."

Gupta got infuriated when a scribe suggested that the IFA's decision was as per "an understanding with East Bengal", who had agreed to play the Shield semi-final and final on succesive days and also took the ground in Thursday's derby league clash with arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, despite intitial reservations.

"You are free to write whatever you like," he shot back.