New Delhi, March 30 – The All India Football Federation is embroiled in controversy after its women's committee head, Valanka Alemao, alleged harassment and intimidation by AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey during a recent meeting.
Alemao, who is also an executive member of the AIFF and CEO of I-League club Churchill Brothers, claimed she was "harassed and intimidated" during the national federation's executive committee meeting in New Delhi on Sunday.
In a letter to the executive committee members, she accused Chaubey, vice president N.A. Haris, and deputy secretary general M. Satyanarayan of using an intimidating tone and making disrespectful remarks to "suppress her voice" while she was raising concerns about the administration of women's football.
"I wish to record the entirely inappropriate behavior of AIFF President Mr. Kalyan Chaubey, Vice President Mr. N. A. Haris, and Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan. I feel deeply prejudiced, and I believe that several attempts were made by the President to silence me.
"The President made remarks against me that were unnecessary and disrespectful. He, along with the DSG, repeatedly raised their voices to an unacceptable level with the intention of intimidating me. Throughout the meeting, I felt consistently targeted," Alemao alleged in the letter.
The allegations follow a period of friction between the AIFF and Alemao, during which she sought accountability for what she termed a "series of blunders" during the Indian women's team's Asian Cup campaign in Australia, including logistical and management failures.
"The entire country was shocked when ill-fitting kits were sent for the senior women's team during the AFC Qualifiers 2026 in Australia. The chief coach was changed just one and a half months before the qualifiers began. The preparatory phase was marred by deviating from what had been decided in an earlier meeting.
"All of this happened without the AIFF Women's Football Committee, of which I am the chairperson. I was not informed and was not consulted about the team's operations.
"As the chairperson of the Women's Football Committee and an EC member, it is my duty to write to the AIFF President and all EC Members, seeking an inquiry into the preparation and participation of the Women's team in the 2026 World Cup," Alemao said in the letter.
AIFF Denies
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The AIFF, however, denied the claims made by its own executive committee member, instead accusing Alemao and her family of exerting "sustained pressure" on the federation to include their club, Churchill Brothers FC, in the Indian Super League.
Alemao is the CEO of the Goa-based club, which has been owned and led for decades by entrepreneur and politician Churchill Alemao, who served as president of the Goa Football Association and chief minister of the state.
Churchill Brothers claimed they won the second-tier I-League title in the 2024-25 season, but a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling awarded the title and ISL promotion to Inter Kashi due to a points dispute.
"The All India Football Federation categorically rejects the recent claims made by Executive Committee member Ms. Valanka Alemao and wishes to place certain facts on record in the interest of transparency and clarity.
"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 the Indian Super League (ISL) through exceptional means," the AIFF said in a statement.
"However, the federation was unable to accommodate this request due to existing rules, regulations, and commitments made to stakeholders."
The I-League regulations clearly stipulate that the winner of the season earns promotion to the ISL. In accordance with the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the winners of the season are Inter Kashi, and in order to remain compliant with the applicable regulations and legal obligations, the AIFF could not include Churchill Brothers in the ISL.
The AIFF further said in its statement, "On January 6, 2026, in the presence of all stakeholders, it was announced that the upcoming ISL season would consist of 14 teams and 91 matches in a truncated format. Based on this structure, the AIFF subsequently obtained the required approval from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
"Following this, several legal petitions were filed by members of Ms. Alemao's family. Despite being an Executive Committee member of the AIFF, Ms. Alemao repeatedly attempted to influence proceedings during official meetings with the objective of securing the inclusion of her club in the ISL.
"Ms. Alemao also strongly pressed for the convening of an Emergency Executive Committee meeting on the matter. In response to this request, the AIFF scheduled an Emergency Executive Committee meeting on February 9, 2026.
"However, the meeting could not proceed as the required quorum was not met due to non-participation by members.
"Subsequently, Ms. Alemao individually contacted members of the Executive Committee and sought to convene another Emergency Executive Committee meeting on February 12, 2026.
"The meeting was held with full attendance, and after due deliberation, the Executive Committee rejected the proposal for Churchill Brothers inclusion in the ISL."
