Deepak Sharma arrested by Goa police for physical abuse on women footballers

Khad FC women footballers had made physical assault allegations against Deepak Sharma.

Indian football received shocking news recently when women footballers complained about being physically assaulted by Deepak Sharma, an executive committee member of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the governing body for football in the country. The allegations suggested that Sharma physically assaulted the footballers in their hotel room during the Indian Women’s League 2 campaign in Goa. 

Anurag Thakur, the Union Minister for I&B and Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, took cognizance of the incident. He directed the AIFF to swiftly take legal action and inform the Ministry of Sports of the actions taken.

In their complaint, the two women footballers complained that Deepak Sharma, who is also the general secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Football Association, was always in a drunken state and carried alcohol while traveling with the squad.

Anurag Thakur’s statement

The ministry of Sports has taken a serious note of an alleged physical assault upon women footballers by an official during the ongoing Indian Women's League in Goa. All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been directed to take quick action and ensure the safety and security of… https://t.co/1s2lwCz98l

— Anurag Thakur (मोदी का परिवार) (@ianuragthakur) March 30, 2024

In his statement on social media platform X, Anurag Thakur mentioned, “The Ministry of Sports has taken a serious note of an alleged physical assault upon women footballers by an official during the ongoing Indian Women’s League in Goa. All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been directed to take quick action and ensure the safety and security of our footballers.”

“The ministry has further directed AIFF to take strong legal action and inform the ministry about actions taken. The safety and security of players are our utmost priority,” Thakur further said in his statement on X.

Deepak Sharma’s arrest 

Two days after the serious allegations made towards Deepak Sharma surfaced, which brought shame and criticism towards the AIFF from all Indian football stakeholders, the Goa police arrested him on Saturday for physically assaulting two women footballers of Khad FC of Himachal Pradesh. 

It was reported earlier in the day, before Deepak Sharma’s arrest by the Goa police, that the AIFF had directed Deepak Sharma to refrain from participating in football-related activities until the completion of an investigation conducted by a three-member panel.

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