Pakhtakore F C of Uzbekistan, after a dismal performance of 1-1 draw in their first match against Tollygunge Agragami and 1-2 defeat against Mohun Bagan, left for their country on Saturday without completing their league engagement against Mohammedan Sporting the following day.

This has raised a storm among the football fans here and many have criticised the IFA which allowed a foreign team to go home before completing their scheduled league fixture. ``They wanted to fly back home and we allowed them to catch flight,'' said IFA assistant secretary Debu Mukherjee.

Former international Prasun Banerjee said the sudden departure of Pakhtakore was an insult to the country's second oldest soccer tournament after Durand Cup and questioned the tournament organisers' action. ``Have youever heard that a team go back without completing their league engagements in order to save some funds for the organisers? Do we have any football rule and what will FIFA would do if report goes to them,'' he asked.

Mukherjee however refused to disclose the terms of the IFA's agreement with Pakhtakore, but insiders in the IFA said the foreign teams's departure saved a lot of money to the cash-starved organiser.

Two decades ago, the tournament used to attract all the major teams of the country and a few top outfits like Pass Club of Iran, Pyongyang of Korea, Tatabenia of Hungary and some Russian teams. But the millennium's last tourney of IFA has only eight teams -- four locals, two outstations and as many from abroad. But the foreign teams -- Pakhtakhore and Badda Jagarani of Bangladesh -- had a poor run.

Former FIFA refree Sudhin Chatterjee said under the rule no team can leave midway before completing their fixture. "It is nobody's individual property and there is a rule in the football and theorganisers as well as the participating teams must comply with those,'' the former panel refree of Asian Cup said.

About the waning popularity of the 105-year-old tournament, Chatterjee said, fair supervision of the matches was required for popularising a tournament. "Fair treamtment to the participating teams during play is vital to have more outstation teams in the tournament.''

He asked the organisers to clarify why they have allowed a team to leave halfway. "The organisers must know dos and dont's of the rule and background of a team before inviting them in a particular tournament,'' he added.

Former medio Prasun Banerjee said the IFA had handed over the plane tickets to Pakhtakore for New delhi before their encounter with Mohammedan Sporting on Sunday. It was contended that the match had no no relevance as both the teams had no chance to go to the knockout stage.

Another reason put forward was that as the tickets for next seven days were not available the foreign team was allowed to go inadvance. The diplomatic office of Uzbekistan in New Delhi sent a message that the team should immediately report back home.

UNITED NEWS OF INDIA