Kamrang protests police action against their football team manager, demand apology from SP

NAMCHI, 17 Aug: The final match of the Independence Day Football tournament played here on Wednesday was keenly contested, so keenly contested that a refereeing decision challenged by one of the teams was so hotly challenged that the police had to intervene and whisk away the manager of the team from the field before play could resume. And the matter is still not resolved with a section of the people from Kamrang below Namchi now demanding that the SP [South] apologise to the Kamrang FC team manager or face a joint protest by the “youth” of Kamrang and Namchi. Kamrang FC lost the match 4-3 but refused to collect the runners-up trophy or their cash-prize in protest.
The incident in question transpired when the Kamrang FC manager, Nayan Rai, protested what he saw as the linesman’s failure to call an out ball and the play ended in a goal by the Legship team which eventually lifted the winner’s trophy. Before that, however, immediately after the goal [which stretched the lead to 4-2 at the time] was scored, the Kamrang manager was on the field hotly protesting the lapse by the referees. A heated exchange followed and the game was held up until the police entered the field and broke up the melee. During this intervention, the SP is alleged to have also slapped the Kamrang FC manager.
The Kamrang team managed to pull back one goal before the match ended and lost 4-3 and then registered its protest by refusing to participate in the prize distribution ceremony demanding that the SP apologise first.
When contacted, SP [South] Manoj Tewari argued that no one can be allowed to take law into their own hands and contested that his action on the ground on Thursday was to prevent an untoward incident. He further countered that the Kamrang FC Manager was instigating a situation on the ground that day and that this is proven by the fact that after he was removed from the ground, the match continued smoothly. The Kamrang team manager was taken to the Namchi Police Station and released after the match.
A section of the people of Kamrang are not convinced of this argument, and addressing media persons here today protested what they insist was misconduct and excessive use of force by the SP. They believe that the team manager was within his rights to protest the line call and reiterated that if the SP did not apologise, the youth of Kamrang and Namchi would join hands to protest against the SP.