The long-standing dispute related to according voting right to individual members of  Orissa Football Association (OFA) has taken a dramatic turn with representatives of its affiliated units deciding to form a new state body in the name of Football Association of Orissa (FAO). The unexpected decision was taken in two emergent meetings convened by Orissa Olympics Association at Cuttack three days ago.

Orissa Olympics Association, the apex sports body of the state, convened two emergent meetings to find solutions to the problems afflicting Orissa Football Association for over 15 overs. The meetings were attended by representatives of all affiliated units, including districts, clubs, colleges and schools.

Under the leadership of OOA secretary Asirbad Behera it was decided in the two meetings to rename Orissa Football Association as Football Association of Orissa, appoint an ad-hoc committee to facilitate the conduct the elections of the new body within six months.

BACKGROUND:
*     Election of office-bearers, which was supposed to be held in every four years, was not conducted in 1988.
*     In protest, OOA secretary Asirbad Behera went to court and under the supervision of the court elections were conducted in 1991. Altogether 152 representatives of affiliated districts, clubs, colleges and schools voted in the election. Then, around 300 individuals, who had been given new annual and life membership by the then OFA secretary Subodh Kumar Sahoo, did not seek voting right.
*     In the 1991 elections, Suvendu Kumar Patra, M A Alam and Subodh Sahoo were elected as secretary, assistant secretary and vice-president respectively.
*     In 1994, when Patra resigned as secretary on personal reason, OFA council entrusted his responsibility to Alam.
*     In 1995, when Alam convened the general body meeting for elections, the new individual members demanded voting right. But when denied, the concerned members went to court and successfully stayed the elections.
*     When the OOA secretary sought AIFF president PR Dasmunshi’s opinion on the matter, he made it clear that the constitution did not provide voting right to individual members.
*     With the support of AIFF and OOA, the state football body filed a case to vacate the stay on the elections. But according to Behera, the then OFA president (nominated) and Sports Minister (R P Swain) misused his power to get the sub-judge court’s verdict go in favour of the individual members on October 29, 2003. Behera alleged that, Swain appointed an advocate, who according to his instruction helped the individual members win the case. Swain himself and his relatives were among those individual members.
*     However, Alam on behalf of OFA challenged the verdict in the district judge court and was successful in obtaining a stay order next month.
*     In 2006, AIFF president advised all parties to settle the dispute amicably and out of the court. He even sent federation vice-president Subrat Dutta to mediate in the settlement. But the attempt failed as some members opposed the out of court settlement.
*     On August 11, 2009, the additional district judge court rejected OFA’s petition and upheld the decision of the lower court, which had given its verdict in favour of the individual members. Of courts, Alam has challenged the district judge court’s decision in the High Court.
*     OFA is not receiving any grant from the State government for not conducting elections.
*     Meanwhile, OOA interfered in the matter and convened the two emergent meetings to find out the solution.