Jaydeep Basu

AN INDEPENDENT INQUIRY NEEDED IN AIFF The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has ordered an inquiry in the kit debacle that rocked Indian football during India’s campaign in the Women’s Asian Cup. While talking about the “stop payment” measure taken against the vendor, the AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan quipped, “The (Integrity) officer will also look into the letter. All aspects are being checked.” There is a sneaky feeling that Mr. Satyanarayan is trying to shift the blame and shove bigger fiascos under the rug. It’s easy to punish the team members and support staff, who have no godfathers but did their best on the pitch. Can the honourable DSG order an independent inquiry into the following? a) Why did India play against Russia, Uzbekistan, etc. before they qualified and mostly against club teams once they qualified? b) Why was the exposure tour programme was virtually snatched away from the AIFF National Teams department and outsourced? Which agency/agencies were engaged? What was the financial deal? Was a tender floated before hiring? c) Why was the November FIFA International Window wasted? Who arranged matches against two mediocre sides from the substandard UAE league? How much money was spent? d) The government took care of the financial needs, but why such a long tour of Turkey where not even one full international could be played? How much did the tour cost the AIFF coffers? e) Why didn’t the DSG act when the disturbing news came in from Turkey that not all practice matches were exactly competitive? Why did he keep quiet when one of the matches had to be abandoned after 30 minutes because the rival side fielded a bunch of kids? f) Why didn’t he bother when India’s three-week stay in Australia produced only two practice matches against teams that fielded unfit players? g) Didn’t he realise that long tours of Turkey and Australia were good to utilise the valuable fund the government was providing for preparations but not enough for the exposure the girls needed? h) Why didn’t he object when a new coach was brought in 40 days prior to the championship? Why didn’t he consult the Executive Committee? Did he notice an unusual hurry behind the move? @YASMinistry and @Media_SAI should launch an inquiry. After all, they contributed a considerable fund for the Indian Women's National Team’s Asian Cup dream. #IndianFootball

HOW TO (AND HOW NOT TOO) PREPARE NATIONAL TEAM KITS Reading through the story of launching the United States National Team kit for the World Cup 2026 would leave an Indian football fan green with envy. The 1000-plus-word story in one of the UK's most prestigious and oldest newspapers is an eye-opener. The giants of apparel and shoes, who were tasked to do the job, took three years to finalise the design before they could come up with the final product. In between, the company interviewed multiple players of the National Team, sought their opinion, and brought dozens of potential colours and patterns for review. Finally, the team gathered in a hotel in Austin, Texas, to display the final product. The US forward, Falorin Balogun, rightly said, “The moments a player makes in a jersey are what makes a kit iconic.” The entire process is not about money. It is about vision, intelligence, experience, and administrative qualities. When you don’t have any, you pack off the team without a proper kit and go around in the market to buy the cheapest products. When it fails miserably, you buy off the shelves and boast about solving the problem quickly. #IndianFootball

AIFF ETHICS COMMITTEE CHECKMATED The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the AIFF Ethics Committee chairperson RK Pachnanda to recuse himself from presiding over the matters pertaining to Churchill Brothers vs. AIFF and others since he earlier investigated these matters as the AIFF Integrity Officer. This was in response to a petition filed by the CBFC pointing out the Ethics Committee chairperson’s frequent change of hats in the AIFF setup. After hearing out both parties, honourable Justice Sachin Datta said all the matters in which Pachnanda investigated as the Integrity Officer should be heard by the other four members of the Ethics Committee. #IndianFootball

WHO BETRAYED INDIA’S CAMPAIGN IN WOMEN’S ASIAN CUP? India’s aspirations in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Australia came to an end on Tuesday with 3 defeats against Vietnam, Japan, and Chinese Taipei in Group C. In hindsight, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei were beatable sides. Their matches against India were closely fought. With proper planning by the AIFF, it could have been achieved. But the girls never received adequate support in the run-up to the Final Round preparations. The AIFF promised the moon only to falter badly in every sector. A STORY OF BROKEN PROMISES The travel plan went awry with last-minute cancellations. The tours that were chalked out raised eyebrows all around. Many of the preparatory matches were highly questionable and meaningless. The last-minute rush to draft in foreign coaching staff left everyone baffled. The AIFF National Teams department was sidelined, and all operations were largely outsourced. The entire operation required big money. The AIFF was not averse to the demand and spent it liberally. Perhaps more than willing to outsource. But for whose benefit? For the girls, and girls alone? PREPARATORY MATCHES India’s opponents in Group C, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei, played a series of official & unofficial friendly matches against teams like South Korea, China, Uzbekistan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. What did the AIFF bosses say prior to the preparatory phase? “The Blue Tigresses will undergo an 83-day preparation camp, which will be conducted in three phases. This will include 10-12 international friendlies and five to seven matches with domestic teams," the AIFF said. In reality, since qualification, India played three international matches—one against Iran & two against Nepal in October. The rest are against club teams from Europe & Australia having questionable strength. SCANDALOUS EXERCISE The November 2025 FIFA International Window was criminally wasted. The team was supposed to go to North Macedonia (FIFA ranking: 135). Crispin Chettri’s girls were dragged to Delhi from Kolkata and made to wait for nearly a week before their visa applications were rejected. The team were flown to play two matches against two clubs from the non-descriptive UAE league, which they won hands down. The UAE's current FIFA ranking is 120. In January 2026, the women’s National Team were supposed to travel to China for preparations. It is unclear why suddenly the team was redirected to Turkey for a long trip that reportedly cost the AIFF coffers 270 dollars per person per day. In Turkey, out of the four friendly matches against club teams scheduled, three were played. One was “called off," according to the AIFF website. Unconfirmed sources claimed the “called off” match was actually played for half an hour. By then, India had slammed in 10 goals. Looking at the weak and amateurish rivals, India’s Costa Rican coach Amelia Valverde stopped the contest. In Australia, India managed to play against two Western Australian league sides. They routed both. At least one of them comprised such a bunch of unfit players that it evoked laughter in the Indian camp. CHANGE OF COACHING STAFF Head coach Amelia Valverde & her two assistants were appointed just six weeks before the start of the Asian Cup. No mandatory job advertisement was put up. The Executive Committee was never consulted. A meeting of the Technical Committee was hurriedly called to clear the appointments. The combined three-month contract reportedly cost the AIFF around one crore rupees. What was the tearing hurry? WHO SHOULD BE HELD ANSWERABLE? Ideally, the AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey; the Deputy Secretary General M. Satyanarayan, who is officially the head of the National Teams; and the Director of the National Teams, Subrata Paul, may be asked a few probing questions by an independent inquiry committee. @IndiaSports @mansukhmandviya @IndianFootball

INDIAN FOOTBALL OFFICIALS STUCK IN DUBAI K. Sankar, India’s only referee to stand in the men's World Cup Final Round and the chairperson of the AIFF Referees’ Committee, has been stuck in Dubai for the past few days because of the ongoing war. He and another former Indian referee, Suvrat, landed in Dubai as the referee assessor and the match commissioner for an ACL match, which had to be postponed. Both are safe but are not sure when exactly they will be able to fly back to India. #IndianFootball

PROBLEMS GALORE IN WOMEN’S CAMP IN PERTH India’s preparations for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 have taken a hit 48 hours before the opening tie against the continent’s most fast-improving side, Vietnam. The Indian team are yet to receive the suitable match and training kits, thanks to the remarkable inefficiency of the All India Football Federation, headed by Kalyan Chaubey. The players, it is believed, are extremely upset with the way they are being treated and have written to the AIFF requesting it to do the needful. The team may now be forced to procure kits locally. It is still a mystery why the Women’s National Team were not provided the kits till today even though the team have been camping in Australia for nearly a fortnight now. Hope that Kalyan Chaubey, Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan, who is also the head of the National Team, and Subrata Paul, the Director of the National Team have an answer to this question. #IndianFootball

ISSUE RESOLVED The venue problems regarding ISL match between Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City on Feb 22 have been resolved. The game is on. #IndianFootball

DOUBTS OVER ISL TIE IN KOCHI The scheduled ISL match in Kochi between Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City on February 22 faces uncertainty over stadium rent and other related issues. While the pre-match press conference could not be held at the stadium, the stadium authorities have reportedly made the venue out of bounds for the match organisers. Meetings, however, are in progress to resolve the issue. #IndianFootball

INDER SINGH AFFECTED BY DEMENTIA Inder Singh is one of the rare souls amongst the former Indian footballers who never lost his touch with present-day Indian football even though he stopped playing in the 1980s. Thereafter, for nearly two decades he worked as the Manager of the JCT team before switching to football administration. He remained the Honorary Secretary of the Punjab Football Association, an Executive Committee member of the AIFF, and a member of the AIFF Technical Committee. He regularly watched matches at the domestic level, was well aware of the strength and weaknesses of the different club teams, and knew exactly which upcoming juniors could be the future stars of Indian football. A man of few words by nature, Inder was a keen watcher and was mostly correct in his assessments. Unfortunately, the legendary striker of Indian football, who turned 83 last December, is unlikely to watch the matches in the ISL that kicked off on February 14. According to his family sources, the most prolific striker of Indian football ever, after Sahoo Mewalal, is currently affected with dementia and is hardly in a position to lead a normal life like before. “Yes, father is ill and is suffering from loss of memory. He struggles to recognise people,” said Harjinder Singh, the son of Inder and the present secretary of the Punjab Football Association. “In the morning, he goes to the nearby Gurdwara. Otherwise, we never leave him alone,” he added. Given Inder’s advanced age, the doctors attending him are sceptical about his possible recovery but nevertheless are doing their best to improve the situation. Having played first-class football for more than 20 years (14 of them with the National Team), Inder was a constant headache for the defenders till his last day on the pitch. With his fabled quick turns and measured right footers, Inder was simply ruthless in punishing the opposition the moment a centre back would falter and leave a gap. With a machine-like energy and accuracy, he would end up scoring a double hat-trick in some of the matches and would still look for more till the final whistle. A thorough gentleman off the field, Inder lived, ate, and drank football all these years. Let us pray for his quick recovery and a long life so that he can continue to enjoy the game he loves most. #IndianFootball

MORE COMPLICATIONS IN THE ISL?? Two clubs have reportedly written to the AIFF saying they are okay with CB's last minute inclusion. Pressure from the highest quarters? Or the final nail in the coffin? #IndianFootball

CHURCHILL PLEA DISMISSED AIFF Exco rejects Churchill Brothers' plea to be included in the ISL 2025-26. #IndianFootball

DELHI FC RELEGATED The AIFF Disciplinary Committee upheld Delhi FC's relegation from the I-League on Wednesday. #IndianFootball

ANILKUMAR RESIGNS AS AIFF SECY GEN HC checkmated Anilkumar Prabhakaran resigned as AIFF SC on Dec 24. Exco members were informed today, Feb 4. For whose benefit was it kept under wraps for 5 weeks? #IndianFootball

A BACKDOOR ENTRY PLANNED? AIFF to appoint ISL Chief League Commissioner. The JD specifications indicate a familiar figure who was checkmated by the HC less than a year ago. A renewed effort to bring the person back? #IndianFootball

ISL UPDATE The fixtures could be kept on hold for possible broadcasters. A change in venue/venues/format can’t be ruled out. #IndianFootball

@IndianfootballH This edition of the Fed Cup was boycotted by the Calcutta clubs as they refused to travel to this venue.

Mafatlal Club & BSF (Jalandhar) played an exciting final in 1979/80 Federation Cup. Trailing 0-1, youthful BSF took 2-1 lead through Nand Kishore & Balwinder. 10 minutes before end, veteran Bhupinder Rawat scored his second goal to make it 2-2. BSF won replay 3-0 #IndianFootball

ISL UPDATE MB vs KB likely the opening match on Feb 14, followed by FCG vs IK. MB vs EB tie could be on May 3. #IndianFootball

ISL UPDATE AIFF issued broadcast RPF for ISL 2025-26 after receiving a joint consent letter signed by 13 clubs. The consent was granted on an interim basis to avoid any more delay in starting the ISL. #IndianFootball