Who is AIFF Presidential candidate Shaji Prabhakaran?

The 50-year-old has been the chief of Football Delhi since 2017.

On the morning of 16th August, FIFA in an announcement banned the AIFF due to third-party interference. Khel Now has been extensively reporting on the ongoing court case and judgements related to the matter. We have also been keeping a keen eye on the impending elections for the President of the All India Football Federation. In a series of specials, we have been presenting detailed profiles of all nominees who are in the running. Among the front-runners is Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran. An attacking midfielder in his youth days, Shaji has been associated with Indian football for all long as one can remember.

Here, we take a look at what the incumbent Delhi Football Association President brings to the table.

Early Life

Shaji’s family shifted from Kerala to North Bengal when he was a kid. He played for a local tea-garden club in the Dooars region. Shaji then graduated from Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE).

Prabhakaran returned to LNIPE in 2000 to completed his Ph.D in Physical Education (football). He then became a lecturer in a college in Delhi, but soon resigned to become a coach at Chandigarh Football Academy. He was a coach for four years.

After that enriching experience, he joined the AIFF in 2004. He was into youth development and coach education at the AIFF. A year later, he was managing ‘Vision India Project’ for the same. During his time with the AIFF, he initiated and implemented several grassroots programs and the success of Manipur Vision India project is a testament to that.

Post-AIFF work

After his stint at the AIFF came to an end, he joined FIFA and worked as the Regional Development Officer in South and Central Asia for a while. Shaji also worked with the Asian Football Confederation for some time.

Connection to Indian football

While his work with AIFF and his penchant for grassroots is decent, his connection to Indian football doesn’t stop there. After working with global bodies such as FIFA and AFC, Shaji joined Football Delhi – the capital’s football governing body. He was appointed as the President of Football Delhi on 19th November, 2017. He was then re-elected to the same post on 20th March, 2022.

Shaji Prabhakaran has always been vocal about implementing grassroots programs all across the nation that are held throughout the year. He has done that during his time at the AIFF and some of his work as Football Delhi’s head is in the same direction.

Achievements

Arguably, Shaji looks as the best candidate on-paper due to his extensive work and spread-out profile. Having worked as a coach in an academy that back in the day and produced several Indian stars, he knows what it takes to perform at the ground level.

We have already told you about his work with AIFF, FIFA and AFC. No other candidate has worked with all three bodies that matter to Indian football, administratively speaking. Shaji is also good at liaising and knows how to bring investors into the beautiful game – a key aspect for India. The Delhi FA President is also adept at ensuring that all stakeholders are at the same table.

Shaji Prabhakaran's work at the grassroots has been well-documented. His book ‘Back to the Roots: A Definitive Guide to Grassroots & Football Development’ is often used as a bookmark for football at the lowest level by administrators across the world. He is also the founder of Football Khelo Foundation.

Controversies

Shaji and Football Delhi suffered a lot of bad publicity when they asked money for trials. There was quite an outrage on social media and several lower division clubs raised their voices against the same. Shaji in an interview later clarified that the state body is ready to allow players coming from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds o attend trials for free.

He has been pretty vocal in the last odd-year and has also made several serious remarks about former AIFF general secretary, Kushal Das. His proximity to Praful Patel is an open secret. In 2021, he proposed to write to the Indian government to award an Indian Football Ratna to Praful Patel. The offer, however, was not accepted by the-then AIFF President.