Job row: Anas Edathodika, Rino Anto dismiss claims made by Kerala sports council chief

Kozhikode: Indian footballers Anas Edathodika and Rino Anto have condemned the comments made by Kerala Sports Council president U Sharaf Ali on the delay in providing government jobs to them. In a detailed Instagram post, Anas, the former Indian centre-back, stressed the fact that the duo had applied for jobs well within their playing days, in contrast to the statements given by Sharaf Ali. 

“The sports council president had said that we are being denied jobs as we had waited till our retirement to apply for them. But I would like to bring to his notice that the state government had finally invited job applications only in the year 2020, after a long hiatus of five years ranging between 2015-2019. We had duly obliged to the call and submitted our applications in the year 2020. How could we submit applications in those years when the notification wasn’t even issued?” asked Edathodika.     

The Jamshedpur FC player also said that playing in ISL is pivotal for finding a spot in the Indian national football team these days. The veteran footballer requested the state government to tweak the guidelines for providing the jobs which the players deserve. He pointed out that a further delay will complicate the matter even more as he himself and Rinto will soon cross the age limit as well.   

“I hope the young generation of footballers will not go through such hardships. They should not find themselves begging for mercy in front of authorities and shall hopefully earn a fortune out of playing football alone,” Edathodika concluded his Instagram post.    

Indian footballers CK Vineeth (sports council executive member) and Ashique Kuruniyan, and domestic stars Abdul Hakku and Mohammed Irshad, came in support of Anas. In fact, Vineeth shared Edathodika's post as his Instagram story appreciating the footballer for speaking out on the issue.