Praful Patel and Arvind Menon likely to stand in AIFF presidential election on December 20
Praful Patel and Arvind Menon are likely to contest the presidency of the All India Football Federation when elections are held on December 20, sources told PTI. Electoral Officer Rajeev Sharma on Friday circulated a notice asking all member associations to nominate two representatives each by November 13 for the polls.
Patel, who served as AIFF president for more than 12 years till 2022 and is a former union minister, has been publicly critical of several issues at the federation, including opposing Kalyan Chaubey's proposal to liquidate the national federation's fixed deposit to meet a deficit from three high-profile international friendly matches. The former Nationalist Congress Party leader, who is the only Indian till now to have served as a FIFA Council member (2019-2023), has not formally declared his candidacy but many state officials PTI spoke to, including people close to him, said he is interested in running; a cooling period of four years since he stepped down in 2022 has made him eligible to contest. Uttar Pradesh state unit chief Arvind Menon is also reportedly considering a bid, with an official close to him quoted as saying, "He (Menon) is not very happy with the things happening in Indian football in recent times; he has spoken about bringing changes in Indian football administration."
On Friday, EO Rajeev Sharma wrote to all member associations to submit the names of authorised delegates for the AIFF elections and included detailed instructions about representation. "Each Full Member Association shall be represented in the Electoral College by two (2) individuals, each casting one (1) vote, who may be its representatives on the General Body or any other individuals nominated by it as delegates for voting in the elections. Each affiliated Full Member Association is hereby called upon to formally nominate and accredit two (2) authorized delegates along with necessary supporting documents," the circular said.
The circular also clarified the procedure for conflicting nominations and compliance requirements. "For the avoidance of doubt, it is clarified that in the event separate or conflicting nominations are received from the same Member Association, the names nominated by the President of such Member Association shall prevail and be accepted for inclusion in the Electoral College," the circular added, and it stipulated: "The nomination of the two (2) delegates must strictly adhere to the provisions of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, National Sports Governance (National Sports Bodies) Rules, 2026 and the AIFF Constitution 2026, including in relation to disqualification events mentioned therein."
The elections will fill 13 seats on the executive council: one president, three vice-presidents (minimum one reserved for a woman), one treasurer and eight Executive Committee members. Out of the eight EC members to be elected on December 20, two will be Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs), and the two representatives of the National Players’ Association on the Executive Committee, including at least one woman, will be elected separately by that Association in accordance with the AIFF Constitution; the total number of Executive Committee members will reach 15 after those two are chosen.
The AIFF currently has 36 member associations, and the four Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs), to be elected on November 23, will also be eligible to cast their votes for the December 5 executive council elections. The Electoral Officer has issued a roster of 40 former players – 20 male and 20 female – who will elect the four SOMs – two male and two female – among themselves, and the roster includes Bhaichung Bhutia, IM Vijayan, Climax Lawrence, Oinam Bembem Devi, Ashalata Devi, Shukla Datta and Aditi Chauhan.
Candidates for the four SOM seats can file their nominations till November 12; the final list of contesting candidates will be announced on November 21, two days before the elections. No one, including incumbent Kalyan Chaubey, has till now openly expressed an intention to fight for the president's post, and the AIFF elections are scheduled for December 20.