Manipur-based I-League side Neroca FC has pulled out of the ongoing Super Cup in Bhubaneswar. The club cited its commitment to the alliance formed with the I-League sides, protesting the apparent poor treatment meted against them by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
The Renedy Singh-coached side was scheduled to take on Indian Super League side NorthEast United on April 3 in a round-of-16 clash.
In a statement released on Sunday, the club said, “We won’t participate in Hero Super Cup 2019 main round which has begun in Bhubaneswar. We decided not to break the I-League clubs alliance against participating in the Super Cup to fight for the survival of I-League.”
Confirming this, an AIFF statement said that NorthEast United has now progressed to the quarter-final of the Super Cup. “Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United FC who were scheduled to play Churchill Brothers FC and Neroca FC respectively in the Round of 16 of the Hero Super Cup 2019 on April 2 and April 3 respectively, have progressed to quarter-final of the ongoing tournament as both Churchill Brothers and Neroca have intimated that they would not be turning up for their respective matches,” the AIFF informed in a statement.
East Bengal and Mohun Bagan also pulled out of the tournament.
