Newly-elected All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey on Saturday promised to bring transparency in the apex body’s functioning, especially in financial dealings, and said accountability “will be sought from time to time from everybody".
The Supreme Court in its hearing on August 22 had asked for an interim and final report of the forensic audit of the AIFF, which indicated large-scale siphoning and defalcation of funds by the Praful Patel-led executive committee, to be submitted to the sports ministry and orally directed it to proceed under law.
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Asked about it, Chaubey said, “Yes, I have information that the forensic audit has been done and when the report comes in that matter, we will take a decision on the basis of that report and the finance committee will also have a look into the matter.
“Definitely, I will work to bring transparency in the functioning of the AIFF. We can’t work without transparency. We have to use the tax payers’ money in a correct manner.
“There will be responsibility for everybody and accountability will be sought from time to time," Chaubey told PTI in an interview.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna had asked senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who was appearing for the SC-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), to submit one copy of the forensic audit to the court and the other to the sports ministry.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, had said that if the court directs, the sports ministry is ready to look into the report as per the procedure laid down under the law.
On May 18, a three-member CoA was constituted by the Supreme Court to run the affairs of AIFF after ousting Patel as president for not holding elections due in December 2020.
The CoA was dissolved by the SC itself on August 22, after the government made a bid to salvage the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, to be held in India in October, following FIFA’s suspension of the AIFF.
Chaubey said that the new executive committee, which met here at Football House, will also look into the AIFF’s balance sheet of the last five years.
“We also called a meeting of the professional support staff of the AIFF office, asked what they had done, what was the target, what was achieved," the former India goalkeeper said.
“We have asked them for a report, the balance sheet of the last five years, provisional balance sheet of current year."
Chaubey, who beat former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia 33-1 in the election for the AIFF president’s post on Saturday, said the constitution of 15-16 committees of the body will be made during the executive committee meeting on September 18 in Kolkata.
He also expressed full confidence that the government will support the AIFF with sufficient funds.
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