Chandigarh netball team thrown out of National Games

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 5: The netball team of Chandigarh has been disqualified from the ongoing 35th National Games after it allegedly tried to get a participation certificate in the name of a non-participating player.

Netball Competition Director Lalit Jiwani lodged a complaint in this regard with the local police here for cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery and criminal conspiracy against the Netball Association of Chandigarh including the players, coach, manager, executives and selection committee and other officials concerned.

According to National Games Secretariat officials here, after registering 14 members, Chandigarh only brought 13 for a photo session of the teams here yesterday.

"When asked about the remaining player, the team officials said he was unwell and hence moved out of the stadium. But, an enquiry carried out by the Netball Federation of India officials found that the said player had not even arrived in Kerala for the Games. But, somebody else had been found to be signing under his name in the records in these days," a National Games official told PTI.

In his complaint to the police, Competition Director alleged that, "the intent of Team Chandigarh was to get a certificate of the National Games issued in favour of a person who had not even participated in the event.

It is also possible that the accreditation card of the said player might have been taken purposefully for some other illegal purposes." Following Chandigarh's disqualification, Karnataka got a direct entry into the semi-finals, but lost to Kerala in the positional play off held here today.

PTI