MUMBAI: All India Football Federation’s Executive Committee was chaired by AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel in Mumbai on Thursday (June 8, 2017). Besides AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das; Vice Presidents Mr. Subrata Dutta, Mr. KMI Mather, Mr. Larsing Ming, Mr. Manavendra Singh, Treasurer Mr. ZA Thakur, all other members except Vice-President Mr. Subhash Chopra, Mr. Deepak Sharma and Ms. Sara Pilot attended the Meeting.
Mr. Chirag Tanna and Mr. Rochak Langer represented FSDL in the meeting as invitees while AIFF Technical Director Mr. Savio Medeira, Technical Director, AIFF, Mr. Joy Bhattacharyya, Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup were also present.
As per the requisites of the newly amended Constitution, former India International Player Abhishek Yadav was appointed as one of the members of the AIFF Executive Committee while Mrs. Anjali Shah was nominated as the second woman member of the AIFF Executive Committee.
Mr. Kishore Taid, COO, apprised the Committee with a presentation reviewing AIFF’s four-year strategic plan, while Goutam Kar, Director, Referees, AIFF gave a presentation on Referee Development matters.
The Committee approved the proposal of implementing a fine of Rs. 1 lakh for per criteria missed by the Clubs in the AFC Licensing criteria and allowing them to play as is the current norm in the AFC. The Committee agreed to the proposal of the SAFF Committee to play the SAFF Championship in Bangladesh from May 1-12, 2018. The Committee also approved the proposal to allow Referee Assessors doubling up as Match Commissioners as and when required. Mr. Henry Menezes also briefed the Committee about Football developments in Maharashtra under WIFA. Meanwhile, Joy Bhattacharya, Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup, India 2017 also provided an update on matters relating to the U-17 World Cup.
The committee was apprised of the meeting held in Kuala Lumpur with all the stakeholders including FIFA and AFC. As per the recommendations of the AFC, a commission would be instituted to find a medium and long term solution taking into account the history, commitment and contributions made for more than 100 years, as well as the new skills. The AFC feels that this road map can be prepared by the end of the year.
However, considering the uniqueness of the forthcoming season wherein India is hosting the U-17 World Cup till October 29, and the fact that the National Team would be playing nine more International matches (including the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers), it is imperative that India put forward their best foot forward to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup, the AIFF will discuss with stakeholders before a final decision is reached.
