Football club, academy should refund fee to parents: Forum

PUNE: The District Consumer Forum has ordered DSK Shivajians Football Club and Liverpool FC International Academy to refund Rs 1.43 lakh fee to the parent of a boy after his admission was cancelled. They have also to pay compensation of Rs 50,000.

Madhav Dubey and his son Manas, residents of Hinjawadi, had filed the complaint before the Pune District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum in December 2017.

Dubey was interested in his son’s admission in Liverpool FC International Academy. The club had announced launch of a ten-month full-time residential programme for interested football players in the academy. They had claimed that the players who took admission in the academy will have opportunity to develop as a footballer through daily training sessions led by a special coach.

As per the judgment order, the name of complainant’s son was short-listed to be the part of 2017-2018 batch. The total annual fee was of Rs five lakh. As per the fee schedule, the complainants were required to deposit 25 per cent of the fees by May 25, 2017. 

“In the schedule there was no mention that the fees once paid will not be refunded. The club officials said that they received about thousands of requests per year from footballers all over the country to join the academy. We were also informed that the confirmation of the admission will be given on, ‘first come first serve basis.’ I paid Rs 1.43 lakh towards the first instalment of fee. However, admission was not granted to Manas. When asked for the refund, the club refused to do so,” the complaint states. 

After going through documents related to money transactions and others, the forum held that the club indulged in unfair trade practice and the ordered the clubs to refund Rs 1.43 lakh with nine per cent rate of interest from September 4, 2017. They were also ordered to pay Rs 50,000 for mental pain and agony and costs of the complaint.

ANOMALY
The clubs did not file their written version before the forum after notices were issued to them. Their lawyers appeared but did not proceed in the case. Therefore, the matter proceeded uncontested.