Exclusive – Aiff – President Kalyan Chaubey: We have to evaluate whether we had a structured youth development system 10 years ago

With rankings, results fade and the future uncertain of the ISL, Indian Football is confronted with a settlement.

In an exclusive interview with Sports starAiff President Kalyan Chaubey shares his vision to generate a revival.

What is the Aiff strategy to improve India’s FIFA ranking?

To improve our FIFA ranking, the national team has to win competitions, and for that the goals must score. In the last 16 games, the senior men’s team won only one win (3-0 versus Maldiven) and only scored seven goals, on average less than 0.5 goals per game.

The AIFF can only facilitate, strategize and ensure that the national team plays in every FIFA window. Kampen, training sessions and opponents are selected on the basis of input from the head coach.

The age group teams of India have also failed to qualify for FIFA U-17 or U-20 world cups or even continental tournaments. How can this be solved?

Youth development must start early. Players under 11 hours must be exposed to football to build basic technology. By 12–13 they would have to prepare for competition; 14–15 is for regular competition game. Ages are 16-17 years for powerful training and with 18-20 players have to switch to professional setups.

We must ask evaluation of those who play today: did we have a structured youth development system 10 years ago? If not, we must ensure that today’s young people do not experience the same gap.

The new MRA concept from FSDL presents a 10-year moratorium for promotion and relegation in the ISL. Does this not violate the route map of 2019 at the AFC?

FSDL submitted the proposal on March 5 and it was discussed in our Executive Committee meeting on 7 April. A counter protection was then sent to FSDL.

Because the issue is sub Judice, I cannot comment further.

Why is the ISL not mentioned in the official calendar of the AIFF?

FSDL still has to officially announce the start and end dates of ISL. However, the normal period for the competition is between September and March.

What is the update about recording PIO/OCI players in the national team? Can you share the names of the 33 nominated players?

Overseas Citizen or India (OCI) and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders are foreign nationals who have granted limited social and economic rights in India. However, since India does not recognize double citizenship, these cards did not provide Indian nationality.

Card holders often have strong ancestral ties with India – via parents, grandparents or earlier home – who can influence sporting suitability and in some cases enable national representation.

We investigate how PIO/OCI players can tune into FIFA statutes, Indian citizenship laws and national sports policy.

This is a continuous process, and until we receive clarity from FIFA and the Indian government, we cannot reveal names.

What are Aiff’s plans for the Indian Women’s League (IWL)?

The IWL is growing, with extensive participation, the launch of IWL 2 and initiatives such as Asmita. Our goal is to broaden the talent pool and to strengthen the ecosystem.

Many ISL players perform at the back at national level despite high salaries of their clubs. Is Aiff considering salary caps?

Player salaries are contracts between clubs and individuals. The AIFF cannot intervene in these matters.

The judgment of the Supreme Court on the AIFF constitution is due on July 18. How will the Aiff respond?

The Supreme Court is the highest authority in our country. The AIFF will comply with every judgment that it delivers.

Various clubs have chosen the Durand Cup. What is AIFF’s route map for this tournament? And what is the status of the Federation Cup? Will it replace the Super Cup?

The Durand Cup is independently organized by the Indian army. AIFF will continue to support it with technical assistance and a tournament dock.

The Super Cup continues as planned and the planning depends on the final league (ISL) calendar.

What have you taken away from your recent meeting with Arsene Wenger?

I learned about a new FIFA 8V8 Under-15 competition that is played on semi-large pitches, designed to improve ball control and build-up game. India will participate in this initiative.

Mr. Wenger also emphasized that the beginning of football at the age of 13 is too late – players must start at the age of eight. In India, most children start around 12-13. Because of the Golden Baby League and Blue Cubs we try to change that and encourage earlier participation.

Is there a long -term plan for youth coaching and talent exploration?

We currently have 16,696 AFC/AIFF-figured coaches and 3,29,945 players who are registered under the CRS system. This season we organized 1,697 competitions.

League participation has increased, but we still need more licensed coaches who are actively involved at the level of the basis. To tackle this, AIFF identifies 500 coaches for retraining and implementation throughout India. The first phase was held in Bhubaneswar with 54 coaches.

Many states lack structured competitions and are influenced by faction and lawsuits. What does the AIFF do to enforce competition schemes and timely elections?

Sponsorship at state level remains difficult. Long -term planning suffers without consistent financial support.

Every State/UT Association has its own constitution and works underneath. However, judicial affairs are a major obstacle – When factions lose elections, they often resort to a lawsuit.

There are currently almost 275 sports -related lawsuits in which the Indian Olympic Association is involved.

At the start of your term of office you have given priority to the development of the basis over the organization of large events. Why did Aiff offer it at the AFC Asian Cup 2031? Has the vision changed?

The vision has not changed. Multiple areas must grow together – the development of the basic, international hosting, coach/referee education and structural support. All these components must make a progress together to build a strong football.

The FIFA-AIFF TDS Academy has already had an impact at the U-15 level and in IWL-2. We are planning to launch more of such academies in the coming months.

Secondly, when we organized the U-17 World Cup for Women, we lost our first match 0-8 against the US. This clearly showed that our preparation was not enough.

The EC meeting of the AIFF on November 16, 2022 stated: «AIFF decided to withdraw his offer (for Asian Cup 2027) because of infrastructure delays, a strong competitive offer from Saudi Arabia, and worries about team will. For 2031 AFC Asian Cup with better preparation.»