AIFF Forms Committee to Probe Alleged Assault on Women Footballers

New Delhi: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has taken swift action in response to allegations of physical assault and harassment on women footballers during the ongoing Indian Women’s League-2 (IWL-2) in Goa, constituting a three-member committee to investigate the matter.

The AIFF was informed by players from Khad FC, participating in the IWL-2, about incidents of alleged physical assault and harassment on Friday. In response, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey convened an emergency meeting of senior members to address the situation.

Present in the meeting were key figures including M Satyanarayan (Acting Secretary General, AIFF), Valanka Alemao (Executive Committee Member and Chairperson, Women’s Committee), Anilkumar Prabhakaran (Executive Committee Member and Chairperson, Competitions Committee), Vijay Bali (Executive Committee Member), and Mulrajsinh Chudasama.

Following discussions, AIFF President Chaubey formed a three-member committee chaired by Pinky Bompal Magar (Executive Committee Member and former India international), with Rita Jairath (Safety and Child Safeguarding Officer, AIFF) and Vijay Bali as members.

The committee has been tasked with submitting a report within seven days. Meanwhile, Deepak Sharma, allegedly involved in the incident, has been instructed to refrain from participating in football-related activities until the committee concludes its investigation. AIFF is also ensuring the safe return of the affected players.

Expressing concern, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur urged AIFF to swiftly address the matter, emphasizing the ministry’s priority of ensuring the safety and security of players. The ministry has directed AIFF to take strong legal action and report back on actions taken.

Reports suggest that women football players from Himachal Pradesh were allegedly assaulted by a senior official for boiling eggs in their hotel room during their stay in Goa for the IWL 2023-24.