Jaydeep Basu

AIFF: CHAUBEY’S FATE HANGS IN BALANCE Fate of representatives of five state FAs in the AIFF elections on December 20 remained unclear after the Electoral Officer declared their status will be decided later in accordance of the AIFF constitution. The states include, Daman, Puducherry, IFA, Uttarakhand and J and K. Incidentally, Daman last night included the AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey as one of its two representatives in the elections. Going by the list declared on the AIFF website, the EO has so far ignored Daman’s change of mind and has retained the names of the two representatives sent earlier by the Daman FA. They are Walter Pereira and Altamash Shaikh. #IndianFootball

AIFF: WRONGFUL ELECTIONS IN DAMAN STATE FA? There is a growing suspicion in the football fraternity that the elections of the Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Football Association held yesterday (Nov 14, 2026) were conducted in gross violations of a series of NSGA rules and regulations, with the AIFF-appointed Observer turning a blind eye to the alleged contraventions. Officials following the developments in the AIFF elections on December 20, pointed out the following: 1) The newly elected Daman Executive Committee has only nine members, while ideally it should be of 15 members, as per the NSGA 2) There is no mention of the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) list, which is mandatory under the NSGA 3) It is not clear whether the SOM elections were held before the elections of office bearers, yet another requirement under the NSGA The AIFF is also at fault since it appointed an Observer, who is neither a principal office bearer of any state association/Exco member, AIFF, nor a salaried staff of the federation. The head of AIFF administration and the Exco should immediately ask for a report from the Observer to avoid being projected as an organisation working for a particular individual. #IndianFootball

DAMAN DRUMS IT UP FOR CHAUBEY Daman FA did a volte-face in less than 24 hours to send in Kalyan Chaubey's name as one of its two nominees for the AIFF elections on December 20. The change of stance came a day after it submitted a different set of names to the Election Officer. Sources claimed the AIFF President had been made a member of a local club in Daman last evening to add a local flavour to the change. However, the decision now rests with the EO since the fresh names were submitted a day after the deadline was over. #IndianFootball

CHAUBEY MISSING FROM AIFF VOTERS' LIST AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey doesn't figure in the list of delegates named by the State FAs for the AIFF AGM and elections to be held on December 20, 2026, according to sources. The deadline for filing the names ended at 6 pm on Friday, November 13, 2026. All eligible State FAs have sent two names each as per the instructions issued by the Election Officer. The delegates will be allowed to vote in the elections. #IndianFootball

AIFF: THE FLY-BY-NIGHT OPERATORS Reports from the AIFF corridors allege that funds were spent recklessly on the three friendlies against Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay, disregarding all procedural protocols. This allegedly occurred with the full knowledge of AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey and deputy secretary general M. Satyanarayan.  Here is an example. More than Rs. five crores was paid to a travel company for flight tickets for the Brazil and Uruguay teams. No tender was issued; the General Body or the Executive Committee was never approached for approval. Article 20.9 (m) of the AIFF constitution says that any commercial decision greater than Rs. five crores “must be approved (x) by the General Body, or (y) in case of such right of approval being delegated to the Executive Committee by the General Body, be ratified, at an AGM/SGM by at least 75% (seventy five per cent) of the Members present and eligible to vote…” The AIFF secretariat would have done better by keeping the members informed about it. #IndianFootball

AIFF: SOM ELECTIONS Four men and five women candidates have filed their nominations to contest the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) elections to represent the SOMs in the AIFF General Body. MEN: U Saraf Ali, Jo Paul Ancheri, Bruno Coutinho, and Mushtaque Ali. WOMEN: Sukla Dutta, Bentla Dcoth, Kalpana Das, Bembem Devi, and Sradhanjali Samantaray. #IndianFootball

AIFF: MORE CULPRITS LURKING IN THE DARK   In the recent Special General Meeting of the AIFF, the members were left in shock after the fed president, Kalyan Chaubey, reportedly refused to divulge the financial details of the three friendly matches against Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay, citing a “confidentiality clause." The news attracted considerable media attention. However, Chaubey wasn’t the only person who played a role in keeping the members in the dark on the three matches that allegedly caused huge financial loss to the AIFF. The deputy secretary general and the head of the AIFF administration, M. Satyanarayan, is equally responsible for failing to uphold the sanctity of the AIFF constitution. Article 72.1 (i) of the AIFF constitution under the Transparency clause says: “All payments and expenditures made by the AIFF which is in excess of Rs.25,00,000 (Indian Rupees Twenty Five Lakhs) shall be enumerated and uploaded on the website.” The AIFF secretariat has permanently failed to live up to its constitutional duty. Not once, but on several occasions.  #IndianFootball

AIFF: ELECTIONS CODE OF CONDUCT In a circular a few days ago, the Electoral Officer of the AIFF said the Code of Conduct (CoC) for the elections is already in place. Though he hasn’t specified the rules, Article 5.7 in Schedule III of the AIFF constitution can safely be assumed as the CoC. It has some interesting points for possible candidates to keep in mind, like: 1. Exclude any form of publicity, including the use of new media or social networks, and no use, free of charge or in return for payment, of the services of a journalist or the media may be made in order to place a candidate at an advantage or a disadvantage; 2. In no case, and under no pretext, give presents, offer donations, gifts or grant advantages of whatever nature, directly or indirectly, to voting members; 3. Any incumbent Office-Bearer contesting an election, shall ensure that no cause is given for any complaint that they have used their official position for the purposes of their election campaign and in particular shall not use official transport including vehicles, machinery and personnel for furtherance of their campaign; 4. Sanction grants or payments out of discretionary funds from the time elections are announced; and enter into any promise or undertaking to be performed, whatever the timing of such performance, for the direct or indirect benefit of any of the AIFF's Members or its partners. We sincerely hope the EO is keeping a close watch. A section in the AIFF feels there are enough chances of the rules being violated. #IndianFootball

AIFF SOM ELECTIONS Mr. Rajeev Sharma, (retired State Election Commissioner) Haryana, has formally taken over the role of conducting the AIFF elections scheduled for December 20, 2026. Sharma, who released the list of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM), both men and women, has issued the notice for the SOM elections, to be held on November 23, 2026. Four SOMs will be elected to the general body. The list of SOMs in the men’s and women’s categories have 20 names each, underlining the fact that most of the top retired Indian footballers have chosen to ignore to apply. There are some surprising inclusion in the list whose eligibility might be in question. With the appointment of Mr. Sharma, the election code of conduct has come in place in the AIFF. #IndianFootball

AIFF NEVER RUNS FOR COVER Around 18,000 seat covers (colours: deep saffron, white and India green) were ordered and purchased for the two friendly matches against Brazil and Uruguay at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. It reportedly cost Rs. 1.20 crores. We are not sure who picked up the bill. Once the matches were over, the seat covers were removed from the stadium and dumped in the open outside the gate of the AIFF-run National Centre of Excellence (NCE) in New Town, Kolkata, to rot under the sun and rain. An open exhibition of AIFF’s administrative excellence. #IndianFootball

AIFF: INDEPENDENT FORENSIC AUDIT NEEDED The outcome of yesterday's AIFF Special General Meeting has made a few things crystal clear for everyone to see and form their own opinions, creating a stir in the football fraternity in the last 24 hours. First, the three high-profile friendly matches against Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay, promoted by the AIFF as the turning point of Indian football, were complete misadventures. It has brought financial doom for the federation and may tarnish the image of the AIFF in the international arena. Second, the AIFF is now a divided house on this issue. Otherwise, a proposal tabled by the AIFF President wouldn’t have been questioned by more than half a dozen state associations like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bengal, Delhi, Odisha, Kerala, Rajasthan, etc. It was like a defeat for the AIFF President on the floor of the house, the most embarrassing moment for an elected official. It is not about breaking the fixed deposit alone. It is also about breaking the faith of those who thought Indian football was in trustworthy hands. No one knows who proposed and cleared the hosting of matches that will cost Rs. 63 crores in appearance fees alone. Nobody is sure whether the AIFF Finance Committee was consulted and the necessary permission was taken before dragging the national federation into this unbelievable muddle. Some members are now claiming that no budget was placed before the Executive Committee for the three matches; the agreement with the Brazil federation was signed a week before the Exco meeting was informed, a gross violation of the laid-down procedure. To cap it off, the agreement was signed by a couple of paid employees of the AIFF, while members were kept in dark. As the AIFF President remained stubborn in his refusal to table the accounts of the three friendlies and their details, it gave rise to an uneasy feeling that not everything was in order in it. To make things clear, it is time for an independent forensic audit team immediately appointed to look into the book that allegedly has left the AIFF in debt over Rs. 35 crores. #IndianFootball

AIFF: ATTEMPT TO BREAK FIXED DEPOSIT STALLED A proposal from the AIFF top brass to break the Rs. 20 crores fixed deposit to clear the huge financial debt created from the hosting of friendly matches against Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay was stalled by the members in the virtual AIFF Special General Meeting today. While the proposal to break the FD was brought in by the AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, at least three senior members vehemently opposed the move and demanded that the financial balance sheet of the three high-profile friendly matches be immediately tabled. Neither Chaubey nor the Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan, however, was ready to spell out the exact numbers. After a nearly two-hour debate failed to break the deadlock and persuade the members to agree with the management, it was decided to form a committee to look into the matter. The AIFF Vice President NA Haris may head the committee. It may be recalled that prior to the three friendlies, former India captain and AIFF Executive Committee member Bhaichung Bhutia alleged the federation was looking forward to breaking the FD to organise the matches. The next day, the AIFF issued a statement calling the allegation false and threatened to take legal action against anyone trying to tarnish the image of the AIFF. Unofficial sources claimed the AIFF owes around Rs. 26 crores to Brazil and Uruguay as appearance fees and a serious amount of money to its vendors. #IndianFootball

AIFF: A TRUNCATED SIDE LIKELY AGAINST PAKISTAN India are expected to travel to Dhaka for the SAFF Championship without a full squad for the first match against Pakistan on Nov 5. While the defending champions will have an insufficient bench strength (18-20) in the tournament opener, eight to 10 more players will join Naushad Moosa’s side after the first match. The initial set of players, who have been released by their clubs since they don't have any ISL/IFL engagements after Nov 1, will assemble in Kolkata on Nov 2 for a possible training session before flying to Dhaka the following day. While the SAFF Championship starts on Nov 5, the FIFA International match calendar opens on Nov 9, two days before India play their second group league match against the Maldives. As per the FIFA rules, it is mandatory for clubs to release players four days before the start of the FIFA Window. Though the AIFF has the plan to field a U23 side for SAFF because of its commitment to the tour of New Zealand, a couple of senior players could be picked up for Dhaka, as they are unlikely to make the cut for the Kiwi travel. #IndianFootball

WILL INDIA BE THERE FOR SAFF? India's participation in the 2026 SAFF Championship remains in jeopardy despite an earlier statement issued by the organisers saying the defending champions will arrive in Dhaka in time. With 11 days to go for India to take on Pakistan in the tournament opener, the AIFF is yet to release the list of probables, leave alone the dates for the training camp. Sources said the AIFF is struggling to raise a decent side after the clubs made clear of their reluctance to release players outside the FIFA window dates. While the next FIFA international match calendar is between Nov 9 to 17, the SAFF group league matches start from Nov 5. Since the MG ISL matches will be in full swing till Nov 7, the chances of the clubs releasing players or the SAFF organisers postponing the meet by a few days look remote. The development is a sad reflection of the AIFF's administration. Even a moderately alert management could have broken the stalemate long ago by talking to the clubs and the SAFF organisers. Instead, it allowed the problem to grow and push India to an embarrassing position that will do no good to its regional hegemony. #IndianFootball

AIFF POSTPONES SANTOSH TROPHY The AIFF is currently on a postponement spree. After deferring the Sub-junior Boys National Championship, which was supposed to start this month, it has now decided to postpone the Senior Men’s National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy. Kerala was scheduled to host it in December. Both championships have been pushed to January 2027, a clear indication that the current committee headed by Kalyan Chaubey has conveniently decided to wash its hands off, leaving it for the new committee to take a call after the AIFF elections on December 20. A SAMBA EFFECT ON AIFF COFFERS? Sources in the AIFF claimed that the federation exchequer has been left high and dry after the high-cost friendlies against Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay. Its cash flow is at its all-time low, which can lead to the shelving of more NFCs. The postponement of the Santosh Trophy to January may turn the IFL 2 into a non-starter because of a clash of dates. STRANGE REASONINGS While putting the Santosh Trophy on hold, the AIFF, in a letter to the state FAs, said, “Upon reviewing the current operational landscape across various member associations, it has come to our attention that several Member State Associations are presently conducting or preparing for their elections. Recognizing that these administrative processes require significant focus, resources, and coordination, AIFF has evaluated the situation to ensure full participation and smooth conduct of the tournament. “In order to allow state associations sufficient time to complete their electoral proceedings and subsequently assemble and prepare their representative teams without disruption, the AIFF has decided to postpone the 80th Santosh Trophy National Football Championship to January 2027.” First, the AIFF has made it abundantly clear that elections are more important than the 85-year-old Santosh Trophy. Secondly and curiously enough, sources said that no state association has so far written to the AIFF urging the Santosh Trophy postponement in light of their upcoming elections. #IndianFootball

INDIA WITHDRAW FROM DHAKA SAFF? India have withdrawn from the SAFF Championships to be held in Dhaka next month, the leading Bangladesh daily "Kalbela" reported today. It said that India are backing out despite one of the AIFF's senior officials attending the draw ceremony last month with all the assurances of participation. The AIFF is yet to make any official announcement in this regard. But given the current nature of political equations between India and Bangladesh, the AIFF decision to withdraw from the regional meet could be labelled as an unwarranted and tactless one. One won't be surprised to find the issue snowball into a major controversy. #IndianFootball

DSA ELECTIONS UPDATE BS Mehra is set to become the new President of the Delhi Soccer Association. His sole rival and the current incumbent of the post, Anuj Gupta, has reportedly withdrawn his candidature, leaving Mehra the only candidate in the fray. The DSA elections are scheduled for October 18, 2026. #IndianFootball