Hyderabad FC’s chief operating officer Suresh Gopalakrishnan informed the Durand Cup tournament organisers of their inability to put together a squad of 18 players as per rules.
Hyderabad FC are battling an acute financial crisis. Photo: @IndSuperLeague
New Delhi: Unable to assemble a squad because a series of transfers bans owing to a prolonged financial crisis, Hyderabad FC pulled out of the Durand Cup on Friday.
The club’s chief operating officer Suresh Gopalakrishnan informed the tournament organisers over a phone call of their inability to put together a squad of 18 players as per rules.
After being handed 10 consecutive transfer bans from FIFA and multiple players terminating their contracts over unpaid salaries for months, HFC currently have only 13 players at their disposal.
“Yes, Hyderabad have pulled out of the Durand,” multiple people aware of the development informed News9 Sports.
“The Durand organising committee will now look to replace HFC with another team but are yet to take a call on it,” a source said.
HFC were supposed to start their training for Durand from July 28 but were unable to do so.
Durand Cup organisers are yet to comment on the last-minute withdrawal.
Payment defaulter
Hyderabad owe wages of around Rs 18 crore to players, coaches and support staff and have missed three consecutive deadlines set by the All India Football Federation to pay up.
They sought license exemption from the AIFF to play in the 2024-25 Indian Super League but that appeal has been rejected after they failed to pay dues within the stipulated time of first June 21, then June 30 and latest July 15.
But since Durand Cup is an invitational tournament organised by the Indian Army, they were eligible to play even without license.
They were clubbed in Group F of the Durand Cup along with FC Goa, Shillong Lajong FC and Tribhuvan Army FC.
HFC were supposed to begin their campaign against Goa on Monday (August 5) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.
The winners of ISL Cup in 2021-22, Hyderabad have plunged into a severe financial hardship as reported by News9 Sports on December 18, 2023, and have been unable to pay salaries to its employees, leading to mass exodus.
The club is yet to publicly speak on the issue but negotiations over a takeover have happened though no breakthrough has been achieved yet.
Gopalakrishnan and club owner Varun Tripuraneni didn’t respond to calls when efforts were made to get in touch with them.
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