Bengaluru FC and Delhi Dynamos in tug-of-war over Robin Singh
I-League club Bengaluru FC and Indian Super League (ISL) club Delhi Dynamos have failed to reach an agreement regarding the future of Robin Singh so far. The Indian striker, who picked up an injury during India's SAFF Cup campaign, might not feature for the Bengaluru in the I-League this season.
I-League club Bengaluru FC and Indian Super League (ISL) club Delhi Dynamos have failed to reach an agreement regarding the future of star-striker Robin Singh so far. The Indian striker, who picked up an injury during India's SAFF Cup campaign, might not feature for the Bengaluru team in the I-League this season.
Bengaluru FC had an agreement with ISL to let Sunil Chhetri, Thoi Singh and Robin Singh join them after their ISL campaign is over, for loan fees of Rs. 75 lakhs, Rs. 20 lakhs and Rs. 35 lakhs respectively. While Chennaiyin FC and Mumbai City FC have fulfilled their end of the bargain, Delhi Dynamos are yet to sign the tripartite agreement.
âWe have sent them countless mails on the subject but they didnât respond. We even marked the ISL officials in our communication but Delhi Dynamos chose not to reply,â Mandar Tamhane, Bengaluru FCâs Chief Technical Officer, was quoted as saying by Goal.com.
Delhi Dynamos, meanwhile, have claimed that there were no official agreement between ISL and Bengaluru FC, and insisted that Robin Singh is keen to explore opportunities outside India.
âThere has been an interest in Robin, especially from Australia and the player and we were keen to explore that opportunity. If Bengaluru FC claims that there was an understanding, we have asked them to show us the written contract which they do not have. We have not been asked to release Robin by any authorities as we follow FIFA rules,â Prashant Agarwal, Dynamos president, told Goal.
Tamhane has, however, claimed that they were open to Robin Singh moving abroad, given he received an offer before January 10. He said, âIt was pre-decided that Robin would join Bengaluru FC after his ISL stint. In fact when he joined us, we asked him to convince his parent club to sign the tripartite agreement soon. With regards to the interest from foreign clubs, we were open to it provided he gets an offer before January 10 and if not, he would join us at the earliestâ.
Robin Singh had joined Bengaluru FC for a training camp, before the I-League club released him for India's SAFF Cup campaign. Delhi Dynamos have questioned the authority of Bengaluru FC to release 'their' player for the national camp.
âBengaluru FC have broken FIFA rules by calling him to their camp and without intimating us of the same. We had asked the player not to go to the Bengaluru FC session too. How can they break FIFA rules? In fact how they can release my player to the national camp?â asked Agarwal.
With Robin Singh picking up an injury during the SAFF Cup, Bengaluru FC are now not willing to pay Rs. 35 lakhs, instead they are offering to pay him on pro-rata basis.
âWhen Seiminlen Doungel got injured with us before he joined Delhi Dynamos, it was our moral responsibility and we took care of his wages until he got fit. We have always wanted to honour the agreement which we had with the league and the player and it was Dynamos who opted not to agree. Now that the player is injured, we still are very much interested in Robin but the question is why should we agree on the fee of Rs.35 lakhs?
âIf he would have got injured when training with us, we would have surely taken care of him on moral grounds,â said Tamhane.
However, Delhi Dynamos are not willing to let Bengaluru FC sign Robin Singh on a pro-rata basis, claiming that they should pay the whole amount of Rs. 35 lakh instead. He said, âEither you follow the FIFA rules or claim moral responsibility. If he is still your player, as you claim, please pay his wages as well. Why state that you would only pay if he gets fit. Robin is very much a Delhi Dynamos player and we shall take care of him until he gets fitâ.
