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AIFF sacks secy gen, Bhutia calls for elections
Former India captain says federation president, vice-president and treasurer too need to go after secretary-general is sacked
Shaji Prabharakaran’s removal as secretary-general of All India Football Federation (AIFF) has split the team that took charge in September 2022 and led to former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia calling for elections as soon as the new constitution is accepted.
AIFF removed Prabhakaran with immediate effect on Tuesday. “The All India Football Federation hereby announces the services of Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran have been terminated due to breach of trust with immediate effect," an AIFF media release on Wednesday afternoon without elaborating. Deputy secretary-general Satyanarayan M will take over Prabhakaran’s role in the interim, the AIFF release said.
The decision was taken two days before Thursday's executive committee meeting.
“I am not surprised because there has been complete mismanagement in AIFF.” Bhutia said on Wednesday referring to Prabhakaran’s removal. “The way India’s campaign in Asian Games was mishandled, the decision to not bid for the 2027 Asian Cup (since awarded to Saudi Arabia) are but two examples. Away from home, the men’s and women’s team too have been losing. The president, treasurer and the vice-president too should go,” Bhutia said over the phone.
Bhutia is an executive committee member as an eminent player because he is India’s most capped retired footballer.
“Based on the new constitution, we need fresh elections to bring football back on track,” said Bhutia who lost 1-33 to Kalyan Chaubey in the conctest to be AIFF president last year..
Bhutia’s wish is unlikely to be fulfilled this year. The constitution has been framed by former Supreme Court justice L Nageswara Rao. As per the Supreme Court’s directive, objections have been listed and the matter will have to be heard before it is ratified.
But since matters pertaining to AIFF is still in the Supreme Court, it should have been informed before the decision to terminate Prabhakaran was taken, said a lawyer following the developments since a committee of administrators was appointed to run AIFF in May 2022.
On Wednesday, Chaubey said AIFF members were not happy with Prabhakaran's functioning.
“AIFF's decision to terminate me comes as a shock. We were working as a team. Charging me for 'breach of trust' is a massive allegation. More on this later. I remain a servant of the beautiful game and thank you all who have supported me in my honest effort for Indian football,” Prabhakaran said on X.
Prabhakaran has also reached out to executive committee. In a message on an AIFF WhatsApp group, Prabhakaran said the termination was "irresponsible." Only the executive committee can "dismiss or terminate" the general secretary, he has written. "Thus this termination has no constitutional validity." HT has seen the message.
"There must be some conspiracy behind the decision which I am not able to understand," the message says. As elected members, you have the responsibility to ask the right questions to the chair, "not for me but for the good of the game," according to the message.
AIFF vice-president N A Harris told PTI that since Prabhakaran’s was not an honorary post, he could be removed by president.
Prabhakaran was appointed in September 2022 following elections in AIFF. This was after Supreme Court ended the term of the committee of administrators it had formed to run AIFF after the dissolution of the previous committee headed by Praful Patel. Along with Chaubey, vice-president N.A Harris, Avijit Paul, executive committee member who is also head of the development committee and member of finance committee, Prabhakaran played an important role in the change of guard.
Prabhakaran is a former FIFA development officer and president of Football Delhi. Before moving to FIFA, he was AIFF's director of the national teams from 2004 to 2009 and of the Vision Indian programme from 2006-09. Prabhakaran holds a Phd in physical education and sport from Gwalior's Laxmibai National Institute of Physical Education where he defended a thesis on the state of football in India.
