Over 20 state associations intend to file a no-confidence vote against All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey next month. According to those familiar with the situation, members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also support the move. The associations intend to request an extraordinary general body meeting under Article 23 of the AIFF constitution, specifically item 4. According to the story, such a meeting must be held within 60 days.
If one-third of the AIFF’s members request a discussion on any subject, said a former state unit president on Friday. The former state association president also stated that observers from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will attend the meeting, as is customary in such cases. Given the delicate state of the situation, the official requested anonymity, as did everyone else who talked for this report.
The state unit president was alluding to Shaji Prabhakaran, who was removed as AIFF secretary-general in November 2023. Last month, Prabhakaran, a former FIFA official, complained to the ethics committees of the AIFF, AFC, and FIFA about Chaubey’s “potential violations of the AIFF ethics code and relevant governing regulations.” M Satyanarayan, AIFF deputy secretary-general, was assigned in charge of the national teams last month.
Kalyan Chaubey Faces Backlash
Aside from Prabhakaran’s dismissal, which is now under appeal. The AIFF was forced to pay $400,000 in compensation to former men’s national team head coach Igor Stimac in September. It was a first under Chaubey’s leadership. The men’s squad failed to win a match in 2024, and their rating fell from 102 in January to 126 in December. The senior women’s squad lost to Nepal and Bangladesh in the 2024 SAFF Championship.
India suffered a 1-6 loss to Syria in an under-20 tournament on Friday. India fielded nine under-17 players since clubs refused to release under-20 players because the tournament was not held under a FIFA window. A state association official from eastern India said, “People without domain knowledge are sitting in interview panels for coaching positions. I have heard a director of football is being appointed. I am not sure why one is needed when the deputy secretary-general has been given charge of national teams.”
