Shaji Prabhakaran appointed as new Secretary General of AIFF by Executive Committee

New Delhi: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday announced that Shaji Prabhakaran will be the new Secretary General of the organisation, with the proposal of his name for the post by newly-appointed chief Kalyan Chaubey getting unanimous approval at the meeting of Executive Committee held at headquarters of Indian Football, the Football House.
Besides Vice President NA Harris, Treasurer Ajay Kipa, all other newly elected Executive Committee members, and the six eminent footballers co-opted in the Committee, except Bhaichung Bhutia, were present in the meeting. Welcoming the members, the AIFF President said: "This is the first time that six former eminent players are part of the Committee as per the order of the Honourable Supreme Court. We need to work together, and at no time should any personal ego come as a roadblock on our endeavour to take Indian football forward together. Discipline is the key to success, and we need to be accountable as per the deadlines set."
The President proposed Dr Shaji Prabhakaran's name as the new Secretary General of the All India Football Federation, which was unanimously approved by all the members. "Dr Shaji's previous experience as FIFA Regional Development Officer will bring in new and fresh ideas which will provide the much-needed fillip to Indian Football," Chaubey stated.
The Committee, as per the AIFF President's proposal, also unanimously appointed Sunando Dhar as the new Deputy Secretary General of the AIFF.
The Committee decided to appoint IM Vijayan as the Chairman of the new AIFF Technical Committee. Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Climax Lawrence, Harjinder Singh, Arun Malhotra and Pinki Bompal will be the other members of the AIFF Technical Committee.
Meanwhile, former India captain Shabbir Ali was unanimously named as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday announced the name of its president in its 85-year history with Kalyan Chaubey defeating the legendary Bhaichung Bhutia in the election for the top post.
The 45-year-old Chaubey, an ex-goalkeeper with Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, prevailed 33-1 as former Indian football skipper Bhutia lost the election and got only 1 vote.
All the 14 candidates who had filed nominations for as many executive committee members' posts were elected unopposed.
With FIFA having lifted the ban, the duty at hand for Chaubey is more extreme than ever to restore normality at an organisational level as India is set to host the U-17 Women's World Cup in October. (ANI)