Sanjive Narain in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Sept. 29: The co-owner of the Guwahati franchise of the Indian Super League football tournament, Sanjive Narain, today pulled out of the club deal, accusing co-owner John Abraham of “cheating” him and the other co-owners.

“I have called you to announce my pullout from the North East United FC. The club management has so far cheated Guwahati in particular and Assam in general, apart from trying to cheat me, along with our co-owner Larsing M. Sawyan,” Narain said at a packed press conference here today.

“The main reason for my pullout is that in spite of my relentless efforts to get the name of Guwahati incorporated in the name of the club, co-owner of the club John Abraham seems least bothered about the sentiments of the people of the city as well as Assam. He has not initiated any move for it and went on blaming IMG Reliance of not allowing us to change the name of the club,” he said.

“Apart from the Assam Football Association, the All Assam Students’ Union and other organisations had pinned hopes on me to get the team renamed after Guwahati. As my co-owners (including Bollywood producer Ronnie Lahiri) are not interested, I feel it would be ethically wrong on my part to continue to be an owner of the club. I was even asked by John to cheat the people of Assam by putting up the logo of the club on my television channel (Prag Channel) with Guwahati inscribed in it unofficially, which I refused because the people of Assam are not fools,” Narain said.

He added that he was hurt when the team congregated at Shillong, practised there, and then went to Goa to play friendly matches as part of the pre-tournament exercise without even stepping in Guwahati. “Neither have the players seen Guwahati, nor have the people of Guwahati seen them. How can they be a Guwahati franchisee’s players?” he said.

The club has proposed to launch the team officially here tentatively on October 4.

Ironically, the Bollywood star had earlier launched the team in Mumbai at the arrival of marquee player Juan Capdevila early this month.

Narain also took exception to Abraham’s recent Mumbai press conference where he said the venue of the Guwahati franchise would be shifted to other cities in the Northeast every year, which IMG Reliance has permitted only in the case of the Northeast.

The Guwahati businessman accused the Bollywood actor of cheating Sawyan by reducing the latter’s stake to a nominal percentage and trying to pressure him to surrender some shares.

Originally, the three shared 33 per cent stakes each while Lahiri was awarded one per cent free of cost for his services.

“Everybody knows how Larsing had toiled for the team from the very beginning and he has now been cheated by John. Similarly, I was also being asked to surrender some of my shares so that some Brahmaputra Infrastructures Pvt Ltd, which has come in through Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi, could invest in the team.

“John has claimed that (IMG Reliance owner) Nita Ambani has suggested that Larsing be removed from the venture and some of my shares be bought back to facilitate investment by a corporate house, which is difficult to believe. And if it is true, I would like to request her to come up with a statement clarifying if she has suggested that someone should cheat in the name of business,” Narain said.

“Larsing is left with no option but to remain silent and accept whatever he gets because he has signed the players in the name of Shillong Lajong FC whom he will have to pay at all cost. His business has now been reduced only to look after the team and no say in the club’s affairs. He will just have to rent out players to earn their payment,” Narain said.

Sources said Sawyan has been left with a meagre 10 per cent stake. Efforts to contact him proved futile.

About investments in the venture so far, Narain said he has invested most of the money so far while John has invested the earnest money deposit of Rs 6 crore and Sawyan was asked not to invest much at this point of time.

“They have returned most of my money and some amount is still pending, which I will get back,” he said.

He added that he was not going to take any legal recourse “because I want the tournament matches to be played as the state will benefit from it through taxes and exposure”.

“But if they compel me, I might have to take legal recourse in the future,” he added.