AIFF Meeting: Prior to the inaugural AIFF Ex Co AGM led by Kalyan Chaubey and secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran, Gopalakrishna Kosaraju, the former president of the Andhra Pradesh Football Association, has raised concerns regarding the expenses of the All India Football Federation. As the India vs Kuwait SAFF Championship 2023 Final approaches, the committee will convene to engage in discussions.
Members of the All India Football Federation’s executive committee and state units have been encouraged to address the matter of excessive spending under new president Kalyan Chaubey.
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This includes the concerns regarding the abandoned bidding process for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The EXCO meeting is scheduled for Monday, followed by the annual general meeting on Tuesday. The EXCO members have already arrived in Bengaluru for Monday’s meeting, while most of the state members will join by Monday.
“What is the justification of such huge expenses after withdrawing our bid and writing off the bidding expenses,” he inquired in his letter.
Kosaraju alleged that from September 2022 to April 2023, Kalyan Chaubey’s travel expenses amounted to Rs 29 lakh, while Shaji Prabhakaran’s expenses were Rs 19 lakh.
He further claimed that the AIFF incurred a preliminary and pre-operative expenditure of Rs 72 lakh between February 2011 and October 2022 for the bidding of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
However, a significant decision made by the new AIFF committee was the abrupt withdrawal of India’s bid after a trip to Saudi Arabia, who eventually won the hosting rights. This decision was made by Chaubey and Prabhakaran.
Following this, the knockout stages of the Santosh Trophy were hosted in Saudi Arabia. Kosaraju alleged that the travel expenses of the entire Indian contingent, including players, officials, and members, cost the AIFF approximately Rs 90 lakh.
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According to Kosaraju, the excessive expenditures have significantly depleted the AIFF’s reserves, reducing them from around Rs 51 crore to approximately Rs 30 crore.
Kosaraju, who withdrew his nomination for the AIFF’s treasurer post during the September 2022 elections, also brought attention to the hefty monthly salary of Rs 12.50 lakh paid to Prabhakaran. While the Indian National Team players are being paid Rs 1500/day since the Intercontinental Cup (earlier it was Rs 1000/day). Prabhakaran’s salary is more than 27times of what a player would earn in 30days with the nations team.
In a separate communication, Kosaraju claimed that the AIFF made a payment of Rs 7,98,47,600 for I-League broadcast without providing any specific details about the tender value. He pointed out that the expenses for I-League production and broadcasting surged from Rs 1,93,73,198 in the 2021-22 season to Rs 13,27,55,050 in the 2022-23 season.
Additionally, he alleged that the broadcast rights for the I-League and Indian Women’s League were arbitrarily awarded to Kolkata-based Kaleidoscope Productions & Services, now known as KPS Studios.
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