Following the conclusion of the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) presidential election, former Indian footballer and politician Kalyan Chaubey swept the polls, beating Bhaichung Bhutia 33-1 to become the new president of India's apex football association.
This is the first time that a former footballer has been elected as the president of the AIFF in a massive shift in the power dynamics of the board. Chaubey is a BJP candidate and was backed heavily by the Gujarat and Arunachal state associations. He was seen as a clear front-runner from the very beginning.
During his career as a footballer for India, Chaubey, who contests his elections from West Bengal, was part of the India team that won the SAFF Championship thrice. He has also represented played the five different states in the Santosh Trophy — Jharkhand, West Bengal, Goa, Punjab and Maharashtra, and has turned out for big names such as Mohun Bagan AC, East Bengal FC, Salgaocar SC, Mahindra United, JCT Phagwara, and Mumbai FC as a goalkeeper.
Chaubey had a short loan spell at Bangladesh Muktiyodha, Dhaka. In 2002, he went on trials for the German 2. Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC.
After retirement, he had a brief modelling career, before taking over as the CEO of Mohun Bagan Academy from 2010 to 2013. He was also a coordinator for the GOALZ Project- 2012, which was developed by Kolkata Police and British Council for underprivileged children.
Meanwhile, Bhutia is arguably a much bigger name in Indian football than Chaubey but failed to garner the support of the state associations.
Chaubey will be joined by NA Haris, who has been elected as the vice-president of the AIFF.
