‘We need to get our house in order’: Ex-AIFF gen sec Shaji Prabhakaran on IOA chaos

New Delhi: There has been a lot of chaos surrounding the internal matters of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) having pulled the Olympic Solidarity Grant funding from the IOA and stopped their financial assistance

PT Usha, the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has recently levelled accusations against All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey for ‘impersonating' the acting CEO of the IOA’ and for issuing ‘unauthorised agenda’ for the body’s Special General Meeting (SGM).

In an exclusive conversation with IANS, former AIFF General Secretary, who had worked closely with Kalyan Chaubey during his tenure before his contract was terminated for an alleged ‘breach of trust’, weighed in with his opinion on the given situation.

“These things should not happen in Indian sports because we are not at a level where we’re winning 100 medals. We need to get our house in order and present a good picture of Indian sports. If India is planning to host the 2036 Olympics then everyone needs to work as a team. This controversy should be avoided because at the end it’s about the country and the image should not be harmed in any way” Shaji told IANS.

The ongoing internal squabble in the Indian Olympic Association involving president P.T Usha and members of the Executive Committee has forced the International Olympic Committee to act against India and stop financial assistance to India's National Olympic Committee till further notice.

IOA president P.T. Usha and the Executive Committee have been engaged in a war of words since January 2024 when the IOA chief informed that Raghuram Iyer has been appointed as the CEO.

Indian football on the other hand is having a very rough 2024 with the team still searching for their first win of the year. Despite the disappointing results, Shaji went on to claim India has shown glimpses of improvement during the 1-1 draw vs Vietnam on Saturday and has the potential to get back to winning ways under head coach Manolo Marquez.

“The year has been disappointing so far because we have not won a match yet. There were some positive glimpses in the draw vs Vietnam. I am hopeful we will get the first win in our next game so yes it’s been disappointing but I am sure we will improve. The first half of 2023 saw us win three trophies in a row. Since the Asia Cup the downward performance began and with the new coach, just three games now, maybe he will get the team back to winning ways

“The national team’s performances depend on the overall atmosphere of football, the good news is the fans are truly behind the team and will not look towards the negative sides around football in India. I am confident the team will move up the ladder as that is the expectation from the fan. The belief that we can come back and play competitive football is still there,” he added.