Report: AIFF Prez Kalyan Chaubey, Treasurer Kipa Ajay accused of misusing funds

The allegations have been mailed by former APFA President Gopalakrishna Kosaraju.

In a startling revelation, former Andhra Pradesh Football Association President Gopalakrishna Kosaraju has accused All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey and Treasurer Ajay Kipa of misusing the federation’s funds for personal expenditures. According to News9, the allegations came to light through a mail sent by Kosaraju to all Executive Committee members, urging them to investigate the matter during their meeting on Tuesday.

According to Kosaraju, Chaubey and Kipa allegedly utilised AIFF credit cards for unauthorised personal expenses. The former APFA president claimed that Chaubey purchased shoes using the federation’s funds, while Kipa availed spa services, paid fuel bills, and settled hotel expenses. The AIFF officials held the AIFF credit cards for emergency spending during official tours, a privilege that, according to Kosaraju, was misused by the accused.

The mail included five bank statements of Kipa Ajay, revealing expenditures exceeding Rs 1,24,000 between January and May 2023. Kosaraju questioned the necessity of such expenses, stating, “The spending at the spa by Mr. Ajay Kipa, fuel spends in the hometown of Mr. Ajay, hotel bill payments at Nagpur, etc., aren’t the AIFF official emergency spends.”

In addition to the personal expenditures, Kosaraju highlighted financial irregularities related to payments made to the company that produced last season’s I-League matches. He also raised concerns about the source of funds for the renovation and refurbishment of Chaubey’s Kolkata office, located adjacent to his residence, and questioned multiple instances of air travel outside official work.

Appealing to the Executive Committee members, Kosaraju urged them to scrutinise the credit card spending and financial practices of the accused officials, stating, “The executive committee members are requested to stop the misuse of AIFF funds by the treasurer of AIFF immediately.”

As the football fraternity awaits the outcome of the executive committee meeting, these allegations cast a shadow over the administration of the AIFF, prompting calls for a thorough investigation into the alleged financial mismanagement by its top officials.

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