The Union Minister of State for Sports, Vijay Goel, has come forward and expressed his support for CK Vineeth, the Indian national team forward who was sacked from his day job because of low attendance.
Goel released a statement via his Twitter handle, saying that rules must be in favour of players and the government is always committed to the welfare of players and their conditions.
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He wrote: “Rules must be in favour of players. If rules are a hindrance, we might change the rules because they are dedicated to the passion of sports.”
The Union Minister also took it upon himself to talk the Kerala Chief Minister and the Comptroller and Auditor General Office in New Delhi into overturning the decision on Vineeth.
Vineeth was sacked from his job at the Kerala AG’s office due to low attendance numbers earlier this week. The Kannur-born striker joined the AG’s office in 2012 on sports quota and his probation period of four years ended in 2016.
The Kerala AG’s office falls under the control of the Comptroller and Auditor General Office in New Delhi.
Furthermore, Goel also ensured that cases like Vineeth won’t happen again since he himself will be monitoring them in the future and lent a helping hand to the athlete’s cause. Henceforth, athletes can reach out to him directly to address grievances similar to Vineeth’s.
The support shown by Goel toward Vineeth suggests that things are heading in the right direction as far as sports in India is concerned. In the rapidly developing field of Indian sports, such a decisive initiative will go a long way in encouraging more and more athletes to give their best on the field, rather than remained concerned about off-field duties.
Vineeth will line up for Bengaluru FC this Sunday in the Federation Cup final against Mohun Bagan. The 28-year-old remains the Blues’ key Indian forward in the injury-induced absence of Sunil Chhetri, and much will ride on him as Albert Roca aims to win his first silverware with the club.
While the news of his sacking broke at an inopportune moment considering Vineeth was in the middle of the season, Goel’s reassuring words will provide a big boost to the player ahead of a crucial tie.
What steps are taken next remains to be seen, but with the intervention of the government, it seems likely that Vineeth will be reinstated in the Kerala AG’s office.
