Indian Football Federation Buried in Debt, Unable to Pay Brazil and Uruguay

Organising a friendly match against Brazil has landed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in serious financial trouble. The federation has still not been able to pay the money it owes to the Brazil and Uruguay teams. Its total debt now stands at roughly 300 to 400 million taka.

Last month the Indian football team played FIFA friendlies against Brazil, Uruguay and Panama. India did not win any of the three matches, but the quality of their play was praised in football circles. It was staging those matches, however, that pushed the All India Football Federation into difficulty.

According to sources, the AIFF lost around 800 to 850 million taka staging the three matches. That huge shortfall has now become the federation's biggest burden.

The situation has been complicated further by a payment deadline. It is reported that if the dues are not paid by 15 November, a complaint may be filed against the AIFF with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Amid the crisis, the AIFF held a special general meeting on Sunday. At the meeting, federation president Kalyan Chaubey proposed breaking the federation's fixed deposit to meet the expenses.

The proposal, however, faced strong opposition at the meeting. Most board members, including Praful Patel, opposed it. The members argued that the fixed deposit should not be broken to absorb a loss of 850 million taka.

Federation vice-president N. A. Harris also opposed the proposal. He said the federation's executive committee had already decided earlier not to break the fixed deposit.

The financial shortfall also raised questions at the meeting about the AIFF's future plans. One member asked how domestic football would be run if staging international matches created such a large deficit.

Questions were also raised about where the money would come from to stage competitions such as the Santosh Trophy, carry out football development work and run other domestic tournaments. President Kalyan Chaubey made no comment on that question.

Yet it had earlier been heard that the Indian football federation would not have to spend its own money to organise these three matches. With the accounts turning out completely the opposite, the federation is now searching for a way to repay its debts.