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Racism charge preposterous, says Houghton's lawyer
With an eminent lawyer by his side, Bob Houghton, the senior India football team coach, denied the charge of racial abuse while replying to the showcause notice served by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) here on Monday.
With an eminent lawyer by his side, Bob Houghton, the senior India football team coach, denied the charge of racial abuse while replying to the showcause notice served by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) here on Monday.
Another meeting has been scheduled for April 20.
Houghton met the four-member committee comprising AIFF general secretary Kushal Das, vice-presidents Subrata Dutta and Ankur Dutta and treasurer Hardev Jadeja with Supreme Court advocate Anish Dayal, who specialises in media, sports and entertainment law and counts Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals among his clients, representing him.
“We have denied the charges of a racial attack and submitted a detailed reply to the accusation which in itself is preposterous,” Dayal told HT.
Among the charges against Houghton in the notice served on March 26 is racially berating fourth referee Dinesh Nair during the India-Yemen match last October in Pune.
“They filed a written reply which expectedly denied any racist attack. The committee will examine the response and will arrive at a decision ahead of the second meeting in eight days time,” Das said.
