AIFF sacks its secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran due to breach of interest

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on November 8 announced that it has sacked its secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran due to “breach of trust”. Shaji Prabhakaran’s sacking comes 14 months after his appointment to the high-profile job even as the national federation did not mention what the breach of trust was that prompted the action.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on November 8 announced that it has sacked its secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran due to "breach of trust".

Shaji Prabhakaran's sacking comes 14 months after his appointment to the high-profile job even as the national federation did not mention what the breach of trust was that prompted the action.

"The All India Football Federation hereby announces that the services of Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran have been terminated due to breach of trust with immediate effect as of November 7, 2023," the AIFF statement read.

"The AIFF Deputy Secretary, M. Satyanarayan, will take charge as Acting Secretary General of AIFF with immediate effect," the statement added. AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey served the termination letter on Tuesday to Prabhakaran, who was appointed on September 3 in 2022 and took charge on September 6. Prabhakaran has not yet reacted to the development but is expected to give his version soon.

AIFF vice-president NA Haris told PTI that even the AIFF executive committee members were not happy with the way Prabhakaran worked. In a cryptic post on X on Monday night, Prabhakaran had hinted that all was not well within the AIFF.

"We have to remain true to our game and when we have the position of power and influence then our responsibility is far higher to do our work with sincerity and dedication without any personal interests," he had written on his X page.

"Never allow personal interests to dominate the mind and decisions. Let's focus on our mission to transform football and make India proud. There can’t be a bigger satisfaction in life than to see India shining on the pitch on a bigger stage," he wrote.