Valanka Alemao alleges harassment by Kalyan Chaubey, AIFF denies claims

A fresh controversy has emerged within the All India Football Federation, with Women’s Committee head Valanka Alemao accusing AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey of harassment during an Executive Committee meeting in New Delhi.

In a formal communication addressed to committee members, Alemao alleged that she was “heckled and harassed” during the meeting held on March 29 at the Football House. The complaint has brought renewed attention to internal functioning and governance standards within Indian football.

Detailing the incident, Alemao wrote, “I wish to place on record the entirely disgusting behaviour of the AIFF President Mr Kalyan Chaubey, Vice President Mr N. A. Haris and Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan. I feel deeply prejudiced and I found that several attempts were made by the President to suppress my voice.”

She further stated, “The President made remarks against me which were unnecessary and disrespectful. He along with the DSG raised his tone time and again beyond an acceptable decibel with the intention to intimidate me. Throughout the course of the meeting, I was consistently targeted.”

Federation rejects claims, cites ISL dispute background

The AIFF, in its response, rejected the allegations and presented a different account of events, linking the dispute to ongoing disagreements over league matters.

In an official statement, the federation said, “Between January 8, 2026, and February 15, 2026, Ms. Alemao and members of her family exerted sustained pressure on the AIFF to facilitate the inclusion of Churchill Brothers FC Goa in ISL through exceptional means.”

The federation maintained that such a move was not possible due to existing regulations and prior commitments. It reiterated that the upcoming ISL season had already been finalised as a 14-team competition with approval from the Asian Football Confederation.

AIFF also pointed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that awarded I-League title and promotion to Inter Kashi, stating that it could not deviate from established rules to accommodate Churchill Brothers.

The federation added that proposals to reconsider the matter were discussed in Executive Committee meetings, where the request for inclusion was ultimately rejected.