Kolkata: Over 20 state associations are planning a no confidence motion against All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey next month. The move also has the backing of members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), people connected with the development have confirmed to HT.
The associations want to cite item 4 of Article 23 of the AIFF constitution to seek an extraordinary general body meeting. As per the article, such a meeting must be called within 60 days if one-third of AIFF’s members seek a discussion on any subject, said a former state unit president on Friday. And, as per procedure in such situations, observers from FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will be part of the meeting, said the former state association president. Like everyone who spoke for this report, the official requested anonymity given the sensitive nature of the issue.
One-third members would mean we need 12 associations, said the official quoted above. “I am confident we will get double that.” AIFF has 36 state associations of which Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir do not have voting rights now.
No one is talking of a presidential candidate yet, the former state president said. A state association president of an affiliate from western India said: “I have nothing against him personally and I was happy that a former footballer had got the most important job in AIFF.” Chaubey, 48, is a former goalkeeper who has played for top Indian clubs in a 14-year career. He became AIFF president in September 2022 defeating former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia.
“But since he took over, there has been only bad news emerging out of AIFF. Especially, after Shaji left,” said the state unit president. “We are planning to meet in a fortnight and place our demand to AIFF.”
The state unit president was referring to Shaji Prabhakaran who was sacked as AIFF secretary-general in November 2023. Last month, Prabhakaran, a former FIFA official, wrote to the ethics committees of AIFF, AFC and FIFA complaining against Chaubey for “potential violations of the AIFF ethics code and relevant governing regulations.”
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.”
AIFF deputy secretary-general M Satyanarayan was appointed in charge of the national teams last month.
Apart from Prabhakaran’s removal, which is sub-judice, AIFF had to pay $400,000 last September as compensation to former men’s national team head coach Igor Stimac, a first, on Chaubey’s watch. The men’s team failed to win a match in 2024 and their ranking slipped from 102 in January 2024 to 126 in December. The senior women’s team lost to Nepal and Bangladesh in the 2024 SAFF Championship. On Friday, India lost 1-6 to Syria in an under-20 tournament. India had nine under-17 players as clubs refused to release under-20 players because the tournament was not during a FIFA window.
