Shaji Prabhakaran reveals if he will file nomination for AIFF Prez

Polls to elect the next football body head will take place in September.

Football Delhi president and former FIFA South Central Asia Development Officer Shaji Prabhakaran is a front-runner to become the next AIFF president. He has contributed a lot to the development of Indian Football, having served the All India Football Federation in the past among other roles.

Shaji Prabhakaran joined Khel Now’s ‘Beyond The Scores’ podcast recently. He sat down with host Ashish Negi and had a very candid conversation, talking about the way ahead for the All India Football Federation after the recent problems.

The Delhi Football Association president spoke about AIFF hiring the right people, money generated by AIFF, the qualities of an ideal president, and much more. He also spoke about the mess at AIFF and why this situation was inevitable. This article pertains to Part 2 of the interview, which covers the growth of Indian Football.

[KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

AIFF should hire the right people

Shaji Prabhakaran stated that the All India Football Federation should hire the right people. In football, one must work 24/7. Thus people coming to AIFF with a 9-5 job mindset should look for a job elsewhere. “We need football people who eat, drink, sleep football. They want to do something at their end.”

The employees with a football mentality add value to the organization as they work towards the growth and development of football. 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/43B1Z3DNUrYe5WqUGBlXQS?si=164c45557dc24917

Money generated by AIFF

The All India Football Federation generates money every year from multiple sources. They receive money from the Sports Authority of India and FIFA & AFC grants. They also generate money through deals with Reliance.

Shaji Prabhakaran reflected on how AIFF should have looked to create value. He said, “Whether you get 5cr, 50cr, or 500cr, the thing is that you have to be accountable for each paisa. You have to think how 50cr can create a value of 500cr, not only for football but for your partner also.”

He also mentioned AIFF “got easy money coming through the partnership”. They never valued the money spent and were engaged in a charitable business.

Clubs have invested their hard-earned money

Shaji Prabhakaran spoke about the clubs that’ve invested their hard-earned money into football. It’s not the president or association who invests money to start a club. According to him, “there are a sea of people waiting to be part of football”. All those people must be encouraged and should also understand that they’ll be valued and will have the opportunity to do things for the sport.

He also stated that India should have thousands of such clubs. Speaking of the end result for the clubs, Shaji said: “In the end, they should get value. They should not think that we are struggling and are nowhere. No place to even put our grievances and there is all bad press.”

[KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

India has to learn from many countries 

In 2010, India defeated Vietnam 3-0 in a friendly game in Pune. Sunil Chhetri scored a hat-trick to guide the Blue Tigers to a comfortable victory. 12 years later, Vietnam is way ahead of India and are among the top 10 teams in Asia. 

“We have to learn from many countries. Vietnam is just one example. They have invested heavily into youth and have focused on building their football. That’s why we see the level of football go up. It’s pure passion, hard work and your priority.”

India can’t get success if they look to copy others. They have the resources and are capable of creating their own story. 

Qualities of an ideal president 

The Delhi Football Association president stated the qualities of an ideal president. A person who is into football or could invest his time into the development of the sport should be the next AIFF president. He also mentioned that the association needs full-time people.

“A football person or who really wants to put his/her 24/7 time into football. You cannot have part-time people anymore. If you see Japan, they have a full-time president. If you go to Saudi now, they have a full-time president. There are many countries where you have full time.”

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News |ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

The president should be available 24/7 and must continuously think about football. “You’ll need a working, active, thinking, and strategic president. Who has a complete understanding and can give time, add value and drive the change,” Shaji added.

The president is one who can take everyone together, can attend the games, and is accessible to all. “If somebody from the village running a club wants to connect with the president and come to AIFF. That accessibility should be there.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJNrkL-ml5I&t=130s

Will Shaji Prabhakaran file nomination for the AIFF elections?

“I might be putting my candidature”. Upon asking if he’s preparing for the same, he responded by saying: “I’m prepared!”

Shaji also mentioned that if he finds a better candidate to lead AIFF, he will step back and would like to support that candidate. “I’ll go all out to support that person,” he said. 

For more football updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.