AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel chairs Executive Committee meeting

Mr. Praful Patel, President, All India Football Federation chaired a physical cum virtual AIFF Executive Committee Meeting held earlier today (Friday, August 27, 2021).

While some members attended the meeting physically at Football House, others joined the meeting via video conferencing. Senior Vice President Mr. Subrata Dutta, AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das, and a host of other members attended the meeting in person.

Leave of absence was granted to Vice-Presidents Mr. Subash Chopra, Mr. Larsing Ming, Mr. KMI Mather; and members — Mr. Gulab Chauhan and Mr. Jessiah Villavarayer.

Mr. Chirag Tanna, General Manager, FSDL attended the meeting as an invitee.

The Committee condoled the demise of former Olympians, footballers and administrators, and observed a minute’s silence bowing their heads as a mark of respect for the departed souls.

“Indian football will miss them as they were all stalwarts who inspired several generations and played such a huge role in scripting a golden age for Indian Football. May I put on record our gratitude, sympathy and condolences to all their families. Our prayers are always with them, and we pray for the departed souls to rest in peace,” Mr. Patel averred.

The President also put on record his congratulations to the AIFF administration for “having done some exceptional work during these difficult times.”

“We have had our Leagues which were run simultaneously and successfully in a bubble. Unfortunately, we could not afford multiple venues as we had to follow safety protocols. But, we managed the competitions successfully,” he stated.

Referring to the forthcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022, Mr. Patel explained: “Though we always like to broad base such tournaments across the country, unfortunately due to the pandemic situation as we were in the danger of losing the hosting rights for the tournament, we planned to host it within the bubble in and around the Mumbai region. That allows us access to an adequate number of training pitches, and the three stadiums in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune.”

Mr. Abhishek Yadav, Deputy General Secretary, AIFF, also Director National Teams apprised the committee about the calendar of the several National teams. “The Senior women’s team have also kicked-off their preparatory camp for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 in Jamshedpur with support from the Government of Jharkhand,” Yadav informed.

Mr. Abhishek also updated the Committee about the ongoing National Centre of Excellence, Kolkata, the first phase of which is to be completed by the end of this year, followed by a soft launch.

Mr. Sunando Dhar, CEO Leagues, informed that the Hero I-League will kick-off in December. “The number of matches have increased and the League will get over by first-week of April 2022,” Mr. Dhar said. “The Hero I-League Qualifiers will kick-off under the bubble in Bengaluru from October first week. We have had 29 teams from 19 states contesting for the 10 spots in the HIL qualifiers.”

The committee also congratulated Gokulam Kerala FC for being the first Indian women’s club to qualify for the AFC Women’s Club Championship pilot project to be held in Jordan. “The qualification to the Hero IWL will be through the state leagues, and State Associations are supposed to complete their state leagues by January 15, 2022.”

Meanwhile, the inaugural AIFF Club Futsal Championship is to be held from November 1-13 in Shillong.

The committee, in unison, also ratified the implementation of a minimum criteria for all State Associations to nominate teams for the subsequent 2nd division/HIL qualifiers, and also the HIWL.

Based on the recommendation of the AIFF Medical Committee, the Ex. Co have asked former junior Indian International footballer Anwar Ali to produce an affidavit claiming full responsibility, along with details of the medical precautions to be taken by him, and his prospective club to make him eligible to play competitive football.

The Committee also lauded the efforts of the AIFF Secretariat to implement the training compensation, which will financially reward the clubs/academies nurturing talent between the age of 12-21. There will also be a share of the admin fee to the state and districts.

Meanwhile, owing to the pandemic situation, the competition calendar of 2020-21 has been brought forward to 2021-22. The National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy zonal rounds will be held from November 21, 2021, while the final round is slated to be held from January 5, 2022 onwards.

In addition, the Women’s Senior National Football Championship will be held from November 2021 onwards.

 

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

For Trial related updates: Latest trials updates in Mumbai Football

Also Read: All you need to know about Regional Premier League

Follow us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram for all the latest happenings in the world of Indian football

SSE BFC Soccer Schools Announces Open Trials for 2025-26 Season in Mumbai

SSE Soccer Schools, one of Mumbai’s longest-standing football academies, has announced open trials for its 2025-26 SSE BFC Soccer Schools program in partnership with Indian Super League club Bengaluru FC….

Share

South United FC Announces Trials in Pune for their Residential Academy in Bangalore

South United Football Club has announced its next set of trials for its new Residential Academy, which will be held in Pune. The trials will take place at the Club’s…

Share

Bank of India announces open trial for Mumbai Corporate League Campaign

Bank of India is set to make its mark in the Mumbai Corporate League and is looking for exceptional football talent to bolster its squad. The trial is scheduled for…

Share

India Khelo Football Workshop returns to Mumbai for its 4th Season

The Indian Khelo Football (IKF) Workshop returns to Mumbai this September, bringing with it an exceptional platform for aspiring footballers to showcase their skills and seize opportunities that could transform…

Share

Somaiya FC announces trials for the upcoming 2024-25 Season

Somaiya FC, having secured a commendable 5th position in the MFA Super Division last season, has announced open trials as they gear up for upcoming season. The team, known for…

Share

VR Academy to conduct trials for 2024-25 Season

Mumbai based VR Academy has announced trials for the upcoming 2024-25 season. The club is looking for talented young players to join our esteemed academy and participate in various competitive…

Share

MH ORANJE FC U-17 Trials for the Upcoming Season

With a proud legacy of nurturing talent and achieving excellence, Maharashtra Oranje FC has recently made waves with appearances in I-League 2, securing a remarkable runner-up position in the fiercely…

Share

Football School of India announce trials for Young Talents

Football School of India (FSI) has announced trials for young football enthusiasts in the upcoming week of June. A golden opportunity for aspiring players to showcase their talents and potentially…

Share

Mumbai Super League club Charkop FC to conduct open trials for upcoming Season

Calling all aspiring football stars! Charkop FC, a MFA super division club based in Charkop, Kandivali, is set to conduct Open Trials for the upcoming season. About Charkop FC: In…

Share

Mumbai 42 Football Academy to conduct trials for Youth players

Newly established Mumbai 42 Football Academy will be conducting trials for young footballers in the upcoming week.

Share