New Delhi: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday announced that it has sacked secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran due to "breach of trust", a move described as "conspiracy" by the Delhi-based sports administrator.
Prabhakaran's sacking comes 14 months after his appointment to the high-profile job even as the national federation did not mention what the breach of trust was that prompted the action.
"The All India Football Federation hereby announces that the services of Dr Shaji Prabhakaran have been terminated due to breach of trust with immediate effect as of November 7, 2023," the AIFF statement read.
"The AIFF Deputy Secretary, Mr M Satyanarayan, will take charge as Acting Secretary General of AIFF with immediate effect," the statement added.
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey served the termination letter on Tuesday to Prabhakaran, who was appointed on September 3, 022, and took charge on September 6, 2022.
The 51-year-old Prabhakaran, however said the decision has no constitutional validity.
In a letter addressed to the AIFF members, Prabhakaran wrote: "As per AIFF Constitution, it is the Executive Committee that can only dismiss or terminate the General Secretary. Thus, this termination has no constitutional validity and approval of the Executive Committee."
Prabhakaran termed it as a conspiracy against him.
"I must say that there must be some conspiracy behind this decision, which I am not able to understand. You, as elected member's does have the responsibility to ask the right questions to the chair, not for me but for the good of the game," he wrote in the letter.
"I must say, this is a totally irresponsible decision at a time when AIFF governance matter is still under discussion and scrutiny across. In the end, we have forgotten our struggles and pains to reach these far.
"I have worked with 100 per cent honesty, and I have not made any decision that was bad for football in India, and it is the fact that I didn't interfere in the decision of the Judicial Bodies for which I was pressurised."
AIFF vice-president NA Haris, however, told PTI that the AIFF executive committee members were also not happy with the way Prabhakaran worked.
In a cryptic post on X on Monday night, Prabhakaran had hinted that all was not well within the AIFF.
"We have to remain true to our game and when we have the position of power and influence then our responsibility is far higher to do our work with sincerity and dedication without any personal interests," he had written on his X page.
"Never allow personal interests to dominate the mind and decisions. Let's focus on our mission to transform football and make India proud. There can't be a bigger satisfaction in life than to see India shining on the pitch on a bigger stage," he wrote.
Prabhakaran was appointed at the first executive Committee meeting of the new dispensation which took charge after the elections on September 2, 2022.
He was earlier serving as Football Delhi president. He resigned from that post and took charge as AIFF secretary general.
A meeting of the executive committee has been called here on Thursday and the members are expected to be officially apprised of the development, besides discussing other matters.
Haris said there is no need for the AIFF executive committee to ratify the decision of the president.
"The post of the secretary general is a paid post and he was not appointed by the executive committee. The president has the power to appoint and remove the secretary general. So the president issued the termination letter," said Haris.
