Shaji Prabhakaran Accuses AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey of 'Conflict of Interest' in I-League TV Production

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In an 18-page letter addressed to the Presidents and Secretaries of AIFF Member Associations and members of the Executive Committee, AIFF General Secretary Shaji Prabhakaran leveled serious allegations against AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey.

The letter, titled "22 Months of Kalyan Chaubey: A Sordid Saga of Misrule & Misdeeds," outlined multiple accusations, particularly focusing on a 'conflict of interest' concerning the I-League TV production, as read by myKhel. At the time of writing this report, Kalyan Chaubey is yet to respond on the matter.

Prabhakaran began by asserting his legal status as the Secretary General of the AIFF, referencing a court order from December 2023 that granted a stay on his termination. He described the circumstances of his termination as unprofessional, stating: "You must not forget that I am still legally the Secretary General of the AIFF as per the court order on 8th December 2023."

He further claimed, "AIFF on 8th November 2023 through its press release made a serious attempt to paint me as a villain by terming my termination is due to 'Breach of Trust.' Till today I don't know what that 'breach of trust' allegation was."

A significant issue raised by Prabhakaran was the formation of a core committee by Chaubey. Prabhakaran alleged, "The problem between us got aggravated since the day he formulated the Core Committee. His primary objective in forming the core committee was to get the go-ahead for all his dubious project plans through the core committee and to make the powers of the Secretary-General redundant."

He described Chaubey as "untrustworthy and unfit to hold this prestigious position because all his actions were packed with lies and lowly politics."

High Production Costs and Alleged Conflicts of Interest

Prabhakaran provided detailed allegations about the high production costs associated with the I-League, suggesting that Chaubey forced the AIFF to increase spending significantly. He stated, "From the third week of assuming charge in AIFF, the President started discussing with me how to improve the overall quality of the production in I-League and to take the production quality to the level of ISL."

Despite initial support for the idea, Prabhakaran expressed concerns over budget constraints, noting that Chaubey assured him that revenue would be generated through advertisements: "He, with his contacts/network, will be able to generate a minimum of Rs. 10cr revenue and our production cost would be zero."

Prabhakaran also raised concerns about Chaubey's relationship with the production vendor, describing instances where Chaubey showed unusual interest in their dealings.

"Why was the President of the organisation taking undue interest in production matters? Mr. Kalyan Chaubey, in the presence of the AIFF Treasurer, confronted me about why we notified the tender on production (2023-24 I-League) without his approval," Prabhakaran wrote. He further added, "He then surprisingly behaved as he was not the President but the vendor who would produce the I-League for the AIFF."

The letter criticized Chaubey's financial management, attributing budget reductions in the I-League and other competitions to his decisions. Prabhakaran asserted, "The reduction of budget in I-League and other competitions for the current season (2024-25) is the direct result of his wrong practices and misplaced priorities."

He highlighted that the AIFF had tried to reduce production expenses: "For the 2023-24 I-League season, AIFF tendered production specifications to substantially reduce production expenses without compromising the basic quality of the production."

Prabhakaran urged an investigation into Chaubey's actions, particularly regarding the production vendor and the financial management of the AIFF. He called on the AIFF Member Associations and the Executive Committee to take corrective measures to protect the interests of Indian football.

"An investigation should be launched into what made the President take the vendor's side. And was there any conflict-of-interest situation that resulted in the President batting for this vendor's continuation to produce the I-League for AIFF?" he questioned.