An insider's tale into current affairs of Indian football
Once the champions of Asia, the Indian men's National Team are now ranked 133 in the FIFA rankings and stand 24th in Asia.
Veteran journalist Jaydeep Basu, in his latest book, 'Who Stole My Football', has given a fascinating account of the reasons behind the rapid downfall of Indian football since September 2022. As the name of the book suggests, Basu has clearly blamed the officials who have run the All India Football Federation for the past three years.
According to the writer, the AIFF President, Kalyan Chaubey, and his executive committee are responsible for the current mess of Indian football administration, which has seen frequent changes of secretary generals and national coaches since September 2022. Basu has given a detailed account of how poorly the AIFF handled the senior men's national team, which resulted in its poor performance, and how Croatian coach Igor Stimac was sacked without following proper procedure. The writer argued that the unprofessional termination of Stimac cost the AIFF more than Rs. three crores as compensation after the Croatian coach threatened to complain to the world body, FIFA.
The book has also dealt with the allegations of financial mismanagement that have hit the AIFF during Chaubey's regime. The writer has quoted in detail the letters written by more than one person closely associated with the game and has also chronicled Chaubey's rebuttals. According to him, the entire episode has left the Indian football community deeply disturbed.
Spread over 130 pages, overall, the book is an interesting read, and Basu, like a journalist, has remained true to the picture he aimed to portray with quotes and versions from all the important football officials. As his writing style is absorbing and pacy, the followers of Indian football will definitely like to read it.(ANI)
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