KOA alleges match-fixing in National Games Netball, claims hosts Uttarakhand ‘bought’ gold medal

Kerala Olympic Association (KOA) has raised serious allegations of match-fixing involving bribery in connection with women's Traditional Netball competition at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand.

KOA President V Sunil Kumar on Friday filed a complaint to the Games Technical Conduct Committee (GTCC), a copy of which is in Onmanorama's possession. According to the complaint, the Netball event was 'seriously compromised due to multiple instances of bias and unfair practices, casting a shadow over the competition's integrity'.

Olympian Sebastian Xavier, the Chef de Mission for Team Kerala, and other officials said they were thrown out of the venue, Kanchenjunga Hall, MPSC, Dehradun, when they raised suspicion about the conduct of referees. The KOA has also flagged the lack of camera coverage for the event. "... that in itself, made the match vulnerable to claims of unfair practices, as there was no way to independently verify the procedure in case of any disputes," KOA President Sunil Kumar pointed out in his complaint.

"Moreover, the competition referee's conduct was highly questionable. There appeared to be clear favouritism toward the Uttarakhand players, with several decisions seemingly influenced by bias rather than fairness. The referee seemed to show a clear preference for the Uttarakhand team, as he waited for them to put the ball in the basket without whistling for violations or adhering to the time limit.

"We noticed that there were no authorized technical officials present at the stadium, which again raised significant doubts. We promptly reported the situation to the available officials but unfortunately, they were disregarded."

Olympian Xavier, who is one of Kerala's most decorated athletes with 21 medals in the National Games, said his complaints were disregarded. "Kerala team was far superior and we were deserving of Gold. But to our surprise, our team was trailing by five points when we got there. But then we were told to leave the venue. I created a ruckus there because we couldn't find the Director of Competition at the venue. After we were removed, Kerala were declared lost by 49-50," Xavier told Onmanorama over the phone from Uttarakhand.

Another official with the Kerala team claimed the Netball Federation did the same for Kerala's match against Haryana. Kerala were declared lost by the narrowest of margins, 40-41, in the group match against Haryana.

Allegation of financial transactions
The KOA President said they also suspect unfair dealings involving Federation officials. "There are rumours suggesting that their competition has result-fixing after financial transactions being made between teams. The biased conduct witnessed today further fuels these concerns," Sunil Kumar said.

Chef de Mission Xavier has claimed that the Netball Federation demanded a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from each Uttarakhand player by guaranteeing them the gold medal in the event.  

The KOA has demanded a rematch between Kerala and Uttarakhand under the direct supervision of the GTCC. KOA has also demanded a comprehensive camera coverage for the rematch. Onmanorama sought comments from the Chairman of the GTCC and the National Games Secretariat but has yet to get a response.