"I have no words! I feel disgust for the order taken by the committee. How can ISL put such a heavy fine of Rs 11 crore (around USD 1.6 million), put bans of 2-3 year on owners and docking of15 points for FC Goa?" Zico said in a statement issued here.
"We were there -- Coaches Moraci Santana and Bruno Silva saw Elano assaulting Mr (Dattaraj) Raj Salgaocar in our dugout," he insisted.
Zico blamed trhe entire episode on a controversial goal scored during the match.
"Interestingly, I could notice that in no time you can hear about the second goal of Mendoza that was scored by hand. It was one of the main things that extolled the spirits of those who were in the field as well on the stands.
Earlier, FC Goa co-owners Shrinvas Dempo and Dattaraj Salgaocar had also issued a joint statement, saying that the order has left them shocked.
India's former Captain Bruno Coutinho said, "This is wrong and harsh judgment and extremely disturbing.
"The owner made a mistake, so what? But this is an unfair punishment of Rs 11 crore. Both the owners are good people and have done a lot for football. On what grounds have they fined Rs 11 crore and on what basis have they been docked for 15 points?" Coutinho questioned.
"I don't understand what they have to gain and it is very bad for football. Both Dattaraj and Shrinivas are gentlemen and have done a lot for football. Show us what they have done to deserve this," he added.
In an unprecedented decision, Indian Super League side FC Goa was slapped with a whopping fine of Rs 11 crore while their co-owners Shrinivas Dempo and Dattaraj Salgaocar were banned for two and three seasons respectively for "bringing disrepute" to the tournament.
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