Page 4 - All India Football Federation

Asian Games: AIFF urges ISL clubs to release China bound footballers

The All India Football Federation has urged the 10 Indian Super League franchises to release players selected for the upcoming Asian Games, keeping the "national interest in mind". The Hangzhou-bound 22-member Indian men's squad has six players from Bengaluru FC, three from Mumbai City FC, while FC Goa, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Odisha FC, Kerala Blasters have two each. Punjab FC, Chennaiyin FC and Hyderabad have one each. The Indian Super League start on on September 21, while the Asian Games begin a day after on September 23 in Hangzhou, China. "We very much understand that this Asian Games is outside the FIFA window, and you are not obliged to release the players," AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran wrote in a letter to the 10 ISL clubs. "But we all have the responsibility towards the country to make India proud... As Indians we are obliged to make sacrifices for the country and, in this process, you have to take a decision by releasing the players considering the Nationa

Bhubaneswar, Guwahati to host India's first two FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Bhubaneswar and Guwahati will host India's opening two home matches in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2, the All India Football Federation announced on Saturday. India have been drawn in Group A of the Asian qualifiers, alongside Qatar, Kuwait, and the winners of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 fixture between Afghanistan and Mongolia. The Blue Tigers will open their campaign with an away fixture against Kuwait on November 16 before hosting reigning AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on November 21 this year. In 2024, India will play back-to-back matches against Afghanistan or Mongolia, starting with the away fixture on March 21 and then return home to the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Guwahati, where they will play the second leg of the tie on March 26. "We would like to congratulate Football Association of Odisha and Assam Football Association on successfully bidding for the hosting righ

AIFF studying feasibility of allowing PIO footballers in national teams

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday formed a task force to conduct a feasibility study of allowing Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) to play in the country's national teams. Under the existing law of the land, PIOs and OCIs are not allowed to represent the country in international sporting events unless they adopt Indian citizenship. The task force, constituted by AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, will evaluate the PIO and OCI footballers playing at a higher level and the status of youth players. The task force, which will submit its report by January 31 next year, will be chaired by Punjab Football Association president Samir Thapar. Chaubey will name the other members of the task force after consultations with the chairman and the Executive Committee of the AIFF. "The Task Force's primary objective will be to collect data on footballers who are either Overseas Citizens of India or Persons of Indian Origin. It is a matter of great prid

Mizoram polls 2023: Former footballer Lapekhlua to contest on ZPM ticket

Lalpekhlua, who retired in 2023, was the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year in 2016

AIFF Medical Committee discuss protocols for standardized medical guideline

The Medical Committee recommended holding a seminar on sports medicine in collaboration with the AFC after a suggestion was made by the Secretary-General

Asian Games: With Chhetri and Stimac at helm, AIFF hopes for strong showing

Indian football's "rapid strides in recent past" and an upsurge in public interest in the sport presented a "compelling case" for the inclusion of the men's and women's teams for the upcoming Asian Games, national federation president Kalyan Chaubey said. The participation of the Indian men's and women's football sides in the Hangzhou Games was earlier in doubt as per the sports ministry's criteria of sending teams which are ranked in top-8 in the continent. The sports ministry later cleared both the teams by relaxing the criteria after an appeal from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Head coach Igor Stimac had also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the matter. "Indian football has been making rapid strides in the recent past. We have improved in football as a nation, improving our FIFA ranking, winning three back-to-back international titles," AIFF president Chubey told PTI in an interview. The Indian men's team won the tri-nation tournament, ...

Manipur violence: How beautiful game suffers in India's football nursery

India player Chinglensana's family was forced to vacate their house due to arson in the neighbourhood. There is no news of the Manipur State League's start and young players are moving to other states

India's road to Fifa World Cup 2026: All you need to know about qualifiers

India have been drawn in group A of the AFC FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers along with Qatar, Kuwait and the winner of the Round 1 clash between Afghanistan and Mongolia

Asian Games participation will give Indian football a big boost: AIFF chief

Indian football teams' return to the Asian Games for the first time in nine years would provide a big boost to the players' morale, All India Football Federation (AIFF) chief Kalyan Chaubey said on Wednesday. The Sports Ministry on Wednesday cleared the decks for Indian men's and women's football teams' participation in the continental showpiece by relaxing its selection criteria. Chaubey termed it as an important day for the sport in the country. "It's indeed an important day for Indian Football and a testament to our resolution to develop the sport in India," an elated Chaubey said, reacting to the development. The Sunil Chhetri-led Blue Tigers recently won the Inter-Continental Cup and SAFF Championships. "Indian football has been on an unprecedented rise recently, and I believe this impetus will further boost our players' morale in all upcoming events," Chaubey said. "It's my honour to represent the AIFF and with moments like this, it further encourages our steadfast commitme

Indian football teams at Asian Games: Here's how they have performed so far

Indian football teams will be participating in the Asian Games for the first time since Incheon 2014. Here's a look at their performance at the quadrennial event so far

Indian men, women football teams to participate in Asian Games in China

The Indian football team coach Igor Stimac had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant the team exemption to play in the Asian Games

AIFF re-appoints Dennerby as women's team coach ahead of Olympic Qualifiers

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday re-appointed Swede Thomas Dennerby as the national women's team head coach ahead of the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2, even though its technical committee had recommended Gokulam Kerala's Anthony Andrews. On July 13, the technical committee of the AIFF under the legendary IM Vijayan as the chairman, had recommended Andrews, who guided Gokulam Kerala FC to back-to-back Indian Women's League (IWL) titles in the last two seasons, to succeed Dennerby whose earlier contract had ended in March. But, it is learnt that many players in the national team wanted Dennerby's continuation and had requested for the same to the AIFF. Dennerby was in charge of the national team in the first round of Olympic qualifiers, against Kyrgyzstan on April 4 and 7 -- which India won -- before leaving. He is now at the helm again for the second round of the Olympic qualifiers in October. Andrews will also remain in the set-up as he was named as the coach, w

I-League likely to start in first week of October; Women's League from Nov

The I-League 2023-24 season is likely to kick off in the first week of October and the Indian Women's League could be held from November 18 to March 16, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Thursday. During a meeting with the clubs, the AIFF discussed the possibility of having the I-League in different formats. A lengthy discussion was held on the pros and cons of the formats, which the AIFF management took note of. A decision on the same will be taken at a later date. The I-League clubs were also advised to improve their pitch conditions and have floodlights installed for their matches. A range of awards were also announced for the I-League Best Pitch, Best Match Organisation, and Best Media Activities. The winning prize for each category is Rs 2.5 lakh, while that of the runners-up is Rs 1.5 lakh. The IWL meeting began with the news of Gokulam Kerala FC being allowed to participate in the AFC Women's Club Championship (Pilot) 2023 after the AIFF requested the Asian

Asian Games 2023: Indian football teams may get govt clearance - Report

With Kalyan Chaubey at the helm of affairs at AIFF, he could convince the government to make an exception for the Hangzhou Asian Games in China, which begins on September 23.

Time for filing objections to IOA's draft constitution extended by 2 weeks

The Supreme Court Monday extended by two more weeks the time for filing objections to the draft constitution of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) framed by former apex court judge Justice L Nageswara Rao. The top court also made it clear that the pendency of the pleas related to IOA will not preclude high courts from continuing with the hearing on pending petitions related to other sports bodies. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra asked Additional Solicitor General K M Natraj, appearing for the Centre, to collate the objections and the suggestions and give them to the parties concerned to the case. The bench said it will hear on August 11 the pleas related to the IOA and the All India Football Federation. Earlier, the top court had directed the Centre to collate the objections put forth by the stake-holders to the draft constitution of the IOA along with suggestions in three weeks. The draft constitution was adopted at the Specia

AIFF club licensing panel holds meet, mulls exemption for Premier 1 sides

The exemption requests were made by three Premier 1 clubs including Hyderabad FC, North East United FC, and East Bengal FC

AIFF passes Rs 134 crore budget, conference style I-League to be introduced

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday passed a budget of Rs 134 crore -- an increase of nearly 50 crore from last year -- for 2023-24 during its Annual General Meeting in Bengaluru. The AIFF budget for 2022-23 was Rs 87 crore, which its general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran had termed "meagre" for a big country like India. "Yes, we passed a budget of Rs 134 crore (a raise of exactly 54 percent) for 2023-24 financial year. Last year's budget was Rs 87 crore," AIFF's finance committee chairman Menla Ethenpa told PTI. Ethenpa, who is also the Sikkim Football Association president, attended the AGM, the first under the new dispensation led by president Kalyan Chaubey. He took charge in September last year. The AGM also approved the appointment of a statutory auditor to audit the accounts of the federation and the financial statements and audit reports of 2022-23. Representatives from 34 member state associations and two affiliate members -- Railways Sports Promotion Board

AIFF Awards: Chhangte, Manisha named men's and women's Players of Year

India and Mumbai City FC winger Lallianzuala Chhangte Chhangte was on Tuesday named the AIFF Men's Footballer of the Year, on the back of his impressive performance in the Indian Super League (ISL) and for the national team. The 26-year-old Mizoram player featured in 12 matches during the international season for India, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the 2022-23 season. He beat national team-mates Nandhakumar Sekar and Naorem Mahesh Singh to the coveted award. Chhangte, who is currently doing national duty in the SAFF Championships here, played in 22 matches during Mumbai City FC's ISL Winners' Shield-winning campaign last season and scored 10 goals while providing six assists. He also netted seven goals in seven matches in the Durand Cup last season, while also scoring one goal in three games in the Super Cup. Manisha Kalyan was named as the AIFF Women Player of the Year by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) after its Annual General Meeting here. The 21-year-