The All India Football Federation (AIFF) elected a new president on September 2 after more than 13 years. It paves the way for Kalyan Chaubey as the newly elected president, Nalapad Ahmed Haris as the new vice president and Kipa Ajay as the new treasurer.
The new board comes in place after several months of election speculation that was followed by controversies, starting from Praful Patel's presidency to the intervention of the Supreme Court and FIFA banning AIFF.
Here are the new board members of AIFF.
Kalyan Chaubey As AIFF President
Kalyan Chaubey became the newly elected president of the AIFF on September 2, winning the election by a huge margin. He defeated former Indian striker Bhaichung Bhutia by a margin of 33-1 in the elections.
With the victory, Chaubey also scripted history as the first player in AIFF history to become the national football body's president.
A BJP leader in West Bengal, Chaubey was a popular goalkeeper during his playing days as he played for both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, the two opponents of the famed Kolkata derby. Chaubey made 27 appearances for Mohun Bagan between 1996-1997.
He later joined East Bengal in a transfer move in 1997 and playing for the red and yellow till 1999, making 67 appearances as a goalkeeper. It was here at East Bengal where Chaubey shared the dressing room with his now-election opponent Bhaichung Bhutia.
Chaubey was also part of India's men's football team that won the SAFF Championship thrice. Now Chaubey begins his tenure as the new AIFF president in 13 years, succeeding Praful Patel.
NA Haris As AIFF Vice President
Kalyan Chaubey is joined by Nalapad Ahmed Haris as the vice president in the AIFF board. A Congress MLA in the Karnataka legislative assembly from Shanthinagar, Bangalore, Haris was also the president of the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA).
In the election, the Congress legislator defeated Manvendra Singh, president of the Rajasthan Football Association to become AIFF's new vice president.
Kipa Ajay as AIFF Treasurer
The vice presidential election was followed by the voting for AIFF's new treasurer. The final candidates were Kipa Ajay, secretary of the Arunchal Pradesh Football Association, up against the president of Andhra Pradesh Football Association, Gopalakrishna Kosaraju.
Kipa Ajay defeated Kosaraju in the election to confirm his spot as the treasurer of the footballing body. In 2020, Ajay was previously elected as the general secretary of the North East Football Association (NEFA).
