GUWAHATI: All is not well with the Assam Football Association (AFA). Serious allegations of financial anomalies were levelled against the secretary and treasurer by none other than the joint secretary of the association. The matter has already reached the Paltan Bazar Police Station.
Joint secretary of the Assam Football Association, Samvid Sarma, in a release, alleged that secretary Hemendra Nath Brahma and treasurer Hiren Gogoi were involved in huge financial anomalies. To investigate the matter, he filed an FIR at the Paltan Bazaar Police Station with supporting documents that he gathered through RTI from the AIFF office.
Sarma alleged that in 2019, a World Cup qualifying match between India and Oman was held at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium in the city. Before the game, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the All India Football Federation and the Assam Football Association (AFA). As per the MoU, the AIFF had to give an amount of Rs 22,90,000 to the AFA and also 60 percent of the income from the ticket sales of the match, which stood at around Rs 8,20,000. The AFA had also generated a substantial amount from the fast food and cold drinks vendor appointed that day at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium.
Sarma alleged that the secretary and treasurer of the AFA had kept the total income as well as the amount contributed by AIFF during that match a secret and put a meager amount in the audited balance sheet.
He also felt that a proper investigation would unearth more financial mismanagement.
It may be mentioned here that the next Annual General Meeting of the Assam Football Association is scheduled to be held in Guwahati on Sunday.
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