A Kalyan Chaubey, the president of the All India football federation (AIFF) is reportedly planning to resign after India failed to qualify in the AFC Asia cup. This would otherwise mark a dramatic twist in the management of Indian football. The departure with a shock has sparked biting criticisms, reviving past charges of poor governance, and triggering calls by prominent personalities in the Indian football league to have new leadership at the helm.
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The fact that India was not in the qualifiers of the Asia Cup has been greatly considered a humiliation considering the expectations that India has had in the continental football. The defeat has not just been a revelation of the ineptitude on the field, but also an eye-opener on mismanagement off the field, a lack of accountability, and corporate disillusionment in the AIFF ecosystem. This was the point of departure of a tricky tenure that might crumble to pieces, at least as far as Chaubey is concerned, who assumed office in September 2022.
The pressure on Chaubey has been increasing gradually during the past months. Older players such as Bhaichung Bhutia have gone on a rampage criticizing the leadership of the federation citing widespread malpractice, suspicious financial transactions and lack of institutional focus. Bhutia has even come out publicly to push Chaubey to resign claiming that India is moving backwards in the current regime.
This crisis has been complicated by the structure of a new AIFF constitution. In accordance with suggested regulations, officials of the national organization should release any posts they are serving in state organizations. That would compel Chaubey and other senior officials, most of who perform two roles, to be national or state-oriented. This constitutional change is making speculation of voluntary exits and some insiders believe that the shift is fueling the speculation.
Critics are viewing the constitutional provision as a salvo that governance can be rebuilt but to others, this could be a political gimmick that creates instability.
There is doubt among the ranks of AIFF. This is reported to see executives and stakeholders preparing to accommodate changes of leadership in case Chaubey does step aside. His exit is not merely a possibility to many observers but maybe even something inevitable. The debate on whether the change will see the true change or just another player/state association/football pundit take the place of the one under scrutiny is one that offers a hot debate amongst the players, state associations, and pundits of football.
The Moment of Truth of Indian Football is suspended. The issue now arises as to whether Chaubey will stand up and resign or push the storm. One way or another the one thing that is evident is that Indian football requires a good clear leadership, the kind which can restore credibility of the sport, a leadership which can revitalize the grassroots organization and restore confidence among the fans and other stakeholders.
