After the Indian Cricket Board, this time under the leadership of the Supreme Court, various scandals have erupted in football as well.
Hiring an astrologer for Sunil Chhetri is not the end. A bigger scandal may be leaked about the All India Football Federation. It can even reveal all the sensational information about financial transactions. The cover of one controversy after another may be turned upside down regarding the management of football in the country.
The Supreme Court, like the Indian Cricket Board, has appointed a Committee of Administrators (COA) to oversee the workings of the Football Federation. That committee has been trying to find out all the exciting information about the financial transactions of the All India Football Association for the last few years. It is as if a snake is coming out while digging for earthworms. For example, in the search of COA, the presence of a mysterious agency has come up like the astrologer. According to news sources, the COA has found out that the Gujarat-based agency has been in charge of overseeing the federation for many years, including travel. The agency is also getting regular commission for it.
As it turns out, that agency is involved in everything from hotel bookings to DA of players and have received commission quotes. But the federation has its own ‘logistics team’, that is, an internal team to look after the itinerary. The question is, then why hire an outside agency? The COA officials are questioning the federation officials about this. They are trying to find out, what exactly was the role of this agency?
More questions about the agency
This is not the end. More sensational information has come to the hands of COA officials about the change of players. The responsibility of the players of Indian Arrows is in the hands of the Football Federation. If an ISL team wants to hire an Arrows player, the contract has to be finalized through the federation. In this case, the practice is if an ISL club likes a player of Indian Arrows, the talks have to go through AIFF, the All India Football Federation. Let’s say, the value of the player chosen is exactly 4 million. A certain commission of this money has to be paid to the federation by that ISL club. No one is objecting to this practice.
The question has arisen elsewhere. The mysterious agency in Gujarat is also involved in all these deals. The COA’s investigation found that the agency exchanged emails with the federation as soon as the ISL team’s contract with a player was completed.
In most cases, according to the agency, the federation paid the commission. Seeing this transaction, the suspicion of COA officials has increased that is there any financial inconsistency in it? What role can the agency play in the transfer of players to the ISL team? Why will the federation give them money? From travel to player DA, transfer – how much is an agency looking at? Various questions are being leaked.