'No manager, no tickets, Rs 125 allowance': IWL 2 players face nightmare train trip representing ex-TMC minister's club

Young women footballers from New Alipore Suruchi Sangha, a Kolkata-based club participating in the Indian Women’s League 2 (IWL) have alleged shocking conditions while travelling by train to play a match.

A video that is now going viral on social media shows several players from the club speaking about the difficulties they faced during the journey. The footballers claimed they were given only Rs 125 each as allowance and were told to somehow manage food and other expenses during the two-day trip.

One player said that the team members had not eaten properly because they were trying to save money. "We have been given Rs 125 and told to manage. Even breakfast costs Rs 50, so how are we supposed to survive for two days?" one of the players said in the video.

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Another footballer revealed that many players did not even have confirmed train tickets despite travelling together for an official football match. "We are a group of 12 players but many of us don’t have confirmed tickets. We are adjusting somehow," she said.

The players also alleged that there was no proper team manager or official accompanying them during the difficult journey. One footballer claimed that when they contacted the manager asking for more money, he refused and blamed the club owner.

"When we called the manager, he said the owner had told him to give only this much. I don’t know whether the owner really said this or if he is saying it himself," the player added.

Club owned by former TMC minister

The controversy has attracted even more attention because Suruchi Sangha is owned by former All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister Aroop Biswas, who had served as Sports Minister in the Government of West Bengal under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Biswas had recently come under criticism after former India and Bengal cricketer Manoj Tiwary accused him of corruption and mismanagement during his time in office. Tiwary, who was the Minister of State (MoS) in Biswas' ministry, alleged that he was asked to pay Rs 5 crore for the MLA ticket this year and hence he refused to run again from his constituency.

Tiwary also revealed that the Sports Ministry did no real work under Aroop Biswas and allegedly blocked the cricketer’s attempts to bring Olympian Yohan Blake to Kolkata, while also interfering in his other initiatives. He even claimed that Mamata Banerjee did nothing despite his complaints about these issues.