[ Bengia Ajum ]
MUMBAI, 16 Oct: A delegation from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), led by its president Kalyan Chaubey, met with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Mumbai on Saturday. During the meeting, AIFF treasurer Kipa Ajay, who also serves as the secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Football Association (APFA), requested the FIFA president to attend the final of the 77th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2023-’24, which is scheduled to be hosted by Arunachal Pradesh in November-December this year.
Ajay shared with this daily that the FIFA president has shown interest in attending the event. “Gianni Infantino was curious about the state of Arunachal Pradesh and expressed his desire to visit. However, he requested some time to provide final confirmation regarding his attendance,” said Ajay.
Arunachal Pradesh is set to become the first northeastern state to host the final round of the Santosh Trophy Championship.
Ajay informed that a process has been initiated to collaborate with a European football club to provide opportunities to talented footballers from the state.
“We are actively working on this initiative. If things progress as planned, the club will conduct scouting programs in the state to identify and select talented young players. Those selected will receive free training from the football club in Europe. However, we are still finalizing the details, and it may take some time,” Ajay said.
Earlier this year, Ajay was appointed as the deputy chairperson of the Finance Committee for the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
