Ranjit Bajaj accuses AIFF of preselecting India U-15 squad in social media video
Ranjit Bajaj accused the All India Football Federation of pre-determining appointments and player selections for the India U-15 setup in a video he posted on social media on August 11, 2026, claiming the federation had already chosen head coach Bibiano Fernandes and a 45-player U-15 squad before consulting him.
The AIFF had named Bibiano Fernandes as head coach and Ranjit Bajaj as team manager; Bajaj says he initially declined the managerial role over differences in playing philosophy, then later shared a video accepting it after reports suggested Fernandes had turned the offer down, but the situation shifted again when reports indicated Fernandes had accepted the post and Bajaj launched his public criticism.
In the video Bajaj blamed the federation for failing to begin preparations for the age group, saying other countries were already organising camps and matches and that he would hold those responsible to account. He opened with: “Jai Hind everyone, this is your very own Ranjit Bajaj and today I want to be telling you about how incompetent our federation is and the only reason we are here is because of AIFF and nobody else. And I will make sure that the future generations have nobody to blame but these guys. And I will name each and every one of you, all of you are to blame, I will make you a statue, I will make you wear shoes and paint your face black.”
Bajaj also questioned the process used to interview him, saying the proposal was communicated by M. Satyanarayan during a meeting at the AIFF office and that he was told a technical committee would conduct an interview. He added: “You called me, first you told me that we want to appoint you with your team, Satyanarayan ji told me that, very clearly in AIFF office. I didn’t say it, he said it to me. After that, he said we are going to have an interview with the technical committee.”
He challenged the technical committee’s role in interviewing for an administrative position, asking why a body that “takes interviews for coaches, not for administrative positions” conducted his interview and noting that, to his knowledge, the committee had never previously interviewed for a manager’s post: “Then why did they take my interview?”
Bajaj said the AIFF supplied an offer letter without defining his roles and responsibilities and that he had put forward an “85-day plan, minute by minute, along with a scouting plan.” He defended his selection methodology and disputed suggestions the team would be drawn from Minerva alone: “People keep saying, ‘It’s Minerva’s team, Minerva’s team’ No. Only the best Indians would have gone. I had planned for 58 coaches to cover all 790 districts. For the first time in the history of Indian football, every single district would have been covered.”
He described the duties he was later assigned as inconsistent with what he had applied for, saying his tasks were reduced to administrative oversight. “You sent me a letter saying accept it. I accepted it. Next day you said Bibiano is there and your roles and responsibilities are booking tickets, looking after the boys, discipline, being in charge of their meals and giving you reports every day. Do you really think this is why I applied for the job? Shame on you, man.” He finished the video asserting a broader public judgement: “Gen Z and the next generation will never forgive you. They will never forgive. I know you called me because of the pressure, but they will never forgive you,” he concluded with.
Bajaj said he will identify those responsible for the alleged decisions and omissions, declaring he would “name each and every one” accountable, and his statement signals a public dispute over the U-15 appointment and selection process that the AIFF has yet to address in the material provided.