Chennai: Tamil Nadu Football Association president S. Cletus Babu has promised to conduct elections for the Chennai Football Association (CFA) before February end. The CFA, which is like the heart of the state football body, has been in control of ad-hoc committees for the last four years.
Cletus Babu told Deccan Chronicle on Tuesday that he wanted to install an elected body at the helm of the CFA immediately after taking over as TFA president in August last year. “I wasn’t able to do so as a result of some constitutional issues. First of all, the TFA hadn’t received accounts from the ad-hoc committees. We also faced hurdles from a few members of the CFA,” he added.
According to Cletus Babu, the TFA has now received accounts from CFA ad-hoc committees. “The accounts have to be inspected by an auditor. I’m committed to conduct the elections before the end of February. I’m confident that the Chennai league will start right after a permanent body for the CFA is elected,” he said.
The TFA is duty bound to ensure that a democratically elected body is in place in Chennai. Otherwise, TFA’s claims that it is working for the development of football in Tamil Nadu would not be taken seriously by anyone. Operation can’t be deemed a success if the patient is dead.
Activities in Chennai have suffered as a result of policy paralysis in the CFA. Senior division clubs are upset over the delay in the start of the league. An ad-hoc committee is appointed only as a stopgap arrangement. Allowing ad-hoc bodies to continue for four years does show the TFA in a poor light.
