AIFF Competition Committee Chairperson & Ex-Co member resigns, citing administration failure

The Competition Chairperson tendered his resignation in a letter to the AIFF President.

Vijay Bali, the AIFF Competition Committee Chairperson, resigned from his post on Wednesday. He tendered his resignation to the AIFF President, Kalyan Chaubey, through a letter in which he listed reasons for stepping down. His letter insinuates the administrative chaos going around in the All India Football Federation.

Bali’s letter focused on the alleged administrative overreach by the Deputy General Secretary. From undermining the powers of state federations to overlooking age fraud issues, the outgoing AIFF Competition Committee Chairperson addressed various factors leading to his ouster.

He blamed the Deputy General Secretary for taking unilateral decisions and not accommodating the inputs from other decision makers in the federation.

Bali stated, “His unilateral approach to administration is deeply concerning and incompatible with the principles of collective governance. It is untenable for one individual to act as the sole authority within AIFF. He has openly claimed to be the originator of the TW3 tests conducted through a Bangalore-based agency. Concerns regarding these tests were raised by several Member Associations during last year’s AGM, particularly about the centralized control exercised from Bangalore.”

Alleged abuse of authority

Vijay Bali mentioned in his letter, “This decision arises from the compulsive circumstances surrounding the working style of the Deputy General Secretary, who has consistently exceeded the limits and powers assigned tohim by the Executive Committee.”

“On 28th October 2025, the Deputy General Secretary contacted me to enquire whether TW3 tests could be conducted in Amritsar for two boys from the Delhi team, whose parents were present in his office.

I affirmed that Amritsar, with its multiple super-speciality hospitals, was a suitable location. He responded affirmatively but later expressed to the parents his distrust in state associations conducting such tests independently.

I was taken aback by this statement, which undermines the credibility and autonomy of our Member Associations,” read the letter from the Competition Committee Chairperson.

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Age fraud issues

In another major revelation, made by the AIFF Competition Committee Chairperson, fingers were raised over alleged ignorance of incidents of age fraud by the AIFF Deputy General Secretary.

Highlighting the issues, Mr Bali wrote, “More disturbingly, I have come to know from the AIFF Competition Department that the Deputy General Secretary allowed retests of the concerned players and, even without conducting the tests, permitted both overaged players to participate in the Sub Junior National Football Championship. This action has jeopardized the rights of other eligible players.”

“As per official communication received from the Manager Competition via the LOC, the Delhi team had two players declared overaged by AIFF and were explicitly barred from entering dressing rooms and field-of-play areas.

However, after the first round of matches, the Deputy General Secretary, acting on his own volition and without consulting the Chairman of the Competition Committee or any Executive Committee member, allowed these overaged players to participate. This decision blatantly violates AIFF regulations and undermines the integrity of the competition.”

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The Chairperson stated that he raised the matter with the Deputy General Secretary but found no cogent response.

“When I raised my concerns with the Deputy General Secretary, he claimed that he had not authorized their participation and instead alleged that the players were tested by the Central Ministry, a claim that has no precedent and lacks credibility.”

The AIFF President was also criticised in the letter for not acting appropriately on the complaint by the Competition Committee Chairperson.

“When I approached the President of AIFF for clarification, he failed to grasp the gravity of the issue and offered excuses that were baseless and unconvincing. It is evident that Delhi fielded ineligible players in this competition, and the AIFF, along with its Deputy Secretary General, failed to act appropriately. This failure to uphold fairness and transparency has compelled me to step down from my responsibilities, ” the letter concluded,

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