M Satyanarayan: All you need to know about AIFF's Acting GS

M Satyanarayan has been appointed as a temporary replacement to former GS Shaji Prabhakaran.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) underwent some major changes recently at the top brass of the management level. Shaji Prabhakaran, the secretary general, was sacked from his role citing a ‘breach of trust’. This decision was taken by President Kalyan Chaubey, with Shaji pleading his innocence over the accusations against him.

With the AIFF making this decision just before the Indian men’s senior team embarks on their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, they had to decide soon on a replacement. For the time being, M Satyanarayan, the former AIFF Deputy Secretary General, has now been made Acting General Secretary as Shaji’s replacement.

What are some of Satyanarayan’s biggest achievements?

A major reason why Satyanarayan, a former footballer turned sports journalist, has been picked for this role is because of his impressive work in a similar position for the KSFA (Karnataka State Football Association). He assumed the role of the KSFA’s general secretary in August 2019 and has been pivotal in improving the quality and reach of local football in the state.

He has significantly helped improve the state of the Bangalore Football League and the BDFA Super Division. Satyanarayan has ensured that the BDFA campaigns go through without trouble over the past few years and also helped them get broadcasters.

Indeed, the secretary played a key role in helping the BDFA Super Division matches get shown on the SportsCast India YouTube channel. On top of that, he worked hard to help rope in the sponsors for the divisions and create a well-functioning system.

Satyanarayan has also helped improve the infrastructure of the stadiums across Bengaluru and helped the city host leagues like the Indian Women’s League (IWL) and I-League without any issues.

How he helped improve state of women’s football in Karnataka

During his time as the general secretary, he has played a major role in improving the condition of women’s football in the state. In 2018, soon after assuming his role in the KSFA, M Satyanarayan held an Impetus Tournament for women’s footballers in Karnataka in a unique fashion. He simply issued a press release to the local newspapers, voicing a desire to hold an 11-a-side women’s footall tournament and that all clubs and players in the state could take part. After initially expecting a handful of teams to come forward, he ended up attracting 18 teams to play in the tournament.

Soon after this, the Karnataka Women’s Football League was created in January 2019. It is now a fully functional division with nine participating teams. SportsCast India also acts as its broadcaster on YouTube. The winner of the league can be promoted to the IWL second division. Satyanarayan played a major role in ensuring that after 72 years of its creation, KSFA would be able to organize its own women’s league.

Satyanarayan was hugely responsible in bringing together this division and encouraging more teams to participate in it, as well as bringing in the finance and sponsors to host the games too. He has helped the district-level teams get more prominence, allowing to participate in the BDFA division as well.

He has also been working hard to help build better stadiums in Karnataka and wants to renovate the Bengaluru Football Stadium, which is facing certain legal issues. Satyanarayan’s good work earned him a place in the AIFF management under Kalyan Chaubey and he been part of the I-League executive committee as well.

Satyanarayan has also helped Bengaluru host the Indian football team’s matches with his diligent work. The 2023 SAFF Championship was held in Bengaluru from June-July, marking the first time in a long period that the city hosted a prominent tournament for the national team.

He will now have major responsibilities on his shoulders as the AIFF general secretary. That involves looking after all the national teams, organizing their matches and well-being. But after seeing his short history of smart work in this role, M Satyanarayan is probably the ideal pick to help further improve the growth of football in India.

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