In New Delhi, former AIFF general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran said on Monday that the extension of the contract signed with former national coach Igor Stimac, which did not include a compensation clause, was "approved" by president Kalyan Chaubey, who , however, called the claim a "complete lie."
In a letter written to AIFF executive committee members and top brass of member associations, Prabhakaran said, "The contract was signed only when he (Chaubey) approved it."
Prabhakaran's statement came a few days before the AIFF EC meeting on July 20, where the implications of Stimac's dismissal last month will be discussed.
Titled 'A clause in the contract that Kalyan Chaubey approved first and denied later', Prabhakaran said, "Chaubey, contrary to his claims, was updated at every step, and the contract was signed only when he approved it.
"It has become a perpetual habit for him to blame everyone else except pointing the finger at himself.
"The fact is that the termination clause was revised in September 2022, when the extension was granted. He has a copy of the agreement, but he always does not read it before issuing a public statement."
Chaubey, however, said that he was in China (for the Hangzhou Asian Games) when the contract was signed (on October 5, 2023) and was not informed.
"Stimac's contract extension was completed and signed in my absence. So what he (Prabhakaran) was saying (in the letter) is a complete lie," he said.
"Write the letter now because the AIFF executive committee is going to discuss the implications of Stimac's dismissal at the meeting."
Prabhakaran was sacked as AIFF general secretary in November 2023 "for breach of trust".
The Delhi High Court initially stayed his dismissal but later gave the AIFF EC the freedom to dismiss him. The case is currently being spent and will be heard for hearing later this month.
In the letter, Prabhakaran further wrote, "The first extension was granted to the head coach based on the decision of the Technical Committee and the Executive Committee and accordingly the extension contract was drafted with revised clauses."
Stimac was removed as the team's head coach and the AIFF terminated his contract exactly one year before it was due to expire following the team's elimination from the World Cup qualifiers despite earning a relatively easy draw.
Stimac, 56, who was appointed head coach in 2019, received an extension until 2026 from the AIFF in October last year.
In the absence of an indemnity clause in its new contract signed on October 5, 2023, the AIFF is required to pay the entire remaining value of the contract, which will amount to a whopping six million rupees.
A day after his expulsion, Stimac threatened to file a lawsuit against the AIFF before the FIFA Court if his outstanding dues ($360,000) were not settled within 10 days.
The AIFF had said that when Stiamc's contract was up for renewal in October 2023, the central committee, under the chairmanship of vice president N A Haris, met in advance and proposed that he (Stimac) "could be offered a two-year contract years with a monthly salary of USD 30,000 starting in January 2024" and instructed the legal team to end the contract with a "termination clause favorable to the AIFF".
"The executed contract provides for a salary increase to $30,000 per month from February 2024 to January 2025 (as approved by the Central Committee) and to $40,000 per month from February 2024 (2025) to January 2026 (without the approval of the Central Committee). Central for said quantity).
"Specific instructions regarding the inclusion of termination clauses favorable to the AIFF were also not followed before the execution of the contract. However, certain termination clauses for cause were maintained in the contract," the AIFF said.
In a letter written to AIFF executive committee members and top brass of member associations, Prabhakaran said, "The contract was signed only when he (Chaubey) approved it."
Prabhakaran's statement came a few days before the AIFF EC meeting on July 20, where the implications of Stimac's dismissal last month will be discussed.
Titled 'A clause in the contract that Kalyan Chaubey approved first and denied later', Prabhakaran said, "Chaubey, contrary to his claims, was updated at every step, and the contract was signed only when he approved it.
"It has become a perpetual habit for him to blame everyone else except pointing the finger at himself.
"The fact is that the termination clause was revised in September 2022, when the extension was granted. He has a copy of the agreement, but he always does not read it before issuing a public statement."
Chaubey, however, said that he was in China (for the Hangzhou Asian Games) when the contract was signed (on October 5, 2023) and was not informed.
"Stimac's contract extension was completed and signed in my absence. So what he (Prabhakaran) was saying (in the letter) is a complete lie," he said.
"Write the letter now because the AIFF executive committee is going to discuss the implications of Stimac's dismissal at the meeting."
Prabhakaran was sacked as AIFF general secretary in November 2023 "for breach of trust".
The Delhi High Court initially stayed his dismissal but later gave the AIFF EC the freedom to dismiss him. The case is currently being spent and will be heard for hearing later this month.
In the letter, Prabhakaran further wrote, "The first extension was granted to the head coach based on the decision of the Technical Committee and the Executive Committee and accordingly the extension contract was drafted with revised clauses."
Stimac was removed as the team's head coach and the AIFF terminated his contract exactly one year before it was due to expire following the team's elimination from the World Cup qualifiers despite earning a relatively easy draw.
Stimac, 56, who was appointed head coach in 2019, received an extension until 2026 from the AIFF in October last year.
In the absence of an indemnity clause in its new contract signed on October 5, 2023, the AIFF is required to pay the entire remaining value of the contract, which will amount to a whopping six million rupees.
A day after his expulsion, Stimac threatened to file a lawsuit against the AIFF before the FIFA Court if his outstanding dues ($360,000) were not settled within 10 days.
The AIFF had said that when Stiamc's contract was up for renewal in October 2023, the central committee, under the chairmanship of vice president N A Haris, met in advance and proposed that he (Stimac) "could be offered a two-year contract years with a monthly salary of USD 30,000 starting in January 2024" and instructed the legal team to end the contract with a "termination clause favorable to the AIFF".
"The executed contract provides for a salary increase to $30,000 per month from February 2024 to January 2025 (as approved by the Central Committee) and to $40,000 per month from February 2024 (2025) to January 2026 (without the approval of the Central Committee). Central for said quantity).
"Specific instructions regarding the inclusion of termination clauses favorable to the AIFF were also not followed before the execution of the contract. However, certain termination clauses for cause were maintained in the contract," the AIFF said.
