ITANAGAR, 2 Sep: Arunachal Pradesh Football Association (APFA) secretary Kipa Ajay has been elected as treasurer of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Ajay defeated his contestant Gopalakrishna Kosaraju, the president of the Andhra Pradesh Football Association, with a huge margin of 32-1 votes in the election, which was held in New Delhi on Friday.
Kalyan Chaubey was elected as the new AIFF president, defeating Baichung Bhutia.
The 45-year-old Chaubey, who played as a goalkeeper, emerged the winner with a comprehensive 33-1 margin.
NA Haris was elected as the vice president.
Ajay, who was elected unopposed as the APFA secretary for the second term earlier this year, decided to contest for the treasurer’s post
“amid the hustle and bustle of FIFA ban and other issues pertaining to the future of AIFF taking place for the last few days.”
He was first elected as APFA secretary in 2016 and since then has been working tirelessly for the development of football in the state.
Some of the major achievements of the current APFA executive committee are winning of two silver medals by the boys’ team (2018, 2019) and one by the girls’ team (2019) in the Sub-Junior National Football Championship; hosting of Sub-Junior Boys’ and Senior Women’s National Football Championships in 2018 and 2019, respectively; and emergence/production of many young players like Gyamar Nikum and Kojam Beyong, who have been playing for top clubs of the country in various championships.
The APFA’s current executive team, led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu as its president, is working tirelessly to make the state’s football team a top-tier outfit of the country.
Meanwhile, the APFA congratulated Ajay on his election as treasurer of the AIFF and said that it is a proud moment.
“(It is) a historic feat for the entire Northeast region. We are confident that he will work tirelessly and at his best capacity for the development of football in the country as he has been doing for the state for the last many years,” the APFA said in an official press statement.
“With FIFA lifting the ban on the AIFF, we as a proud member state association are looking forward to take Indian football to a new height under the leadership of Chaubey and his newly elected executive committee members,” it added.
Arunachal Olympic Association secretary-general Bamang Tago also congratulated Ajay and expressed hope that his election as treasurer of the governing body of football in India would immensely benefit the state and the country as a whole.
