Indian football has been in freefall for the past two years, and veteran journalist Jaydeep Basu’s latest book, Who Stole My Football, offers a scathing insider account of what went wrong.
From administrative turmoil at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to questionable decisions at the top, Basu traces how the game has suffered under the stewardship of AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey. The men’s national team is now ranked 133rd in the world — its lowest in nearly a decade — and uncertainty looms over the Indian Super League, with the next season stuck in limbo. The Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the league’s organisers, is yet to be renewed.
Basu, who previously served as AIFF’s Media Director, writes with first-hand knowledge of the federation’s inner workings. He terms the current scenario a “systemic breakdown”, marked by procedural lapses, financial mismanagement, and a complete collapse of professionalism.
“The entire professional structure of the AIFF secretariat suffered a breakdown since 2024. The laid down process of appointments was not followed in many instances,” Basu writes.
The book pulls no punches when detailing the appointment of Anilkumar as Secretary General, a move that sparked fresh controversy. Anilkumar took charge after the abrupt removal of Shaji Prabhakaran in November 2023, but his own tenure was short-lived. The Delhi High Court stayed his appointment earlier this year, deepening the crisis.
Basu also devotes space to the national team’s chaotic campaign at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. The Indian team landed just hours before its first group match, fielding a second-string squad cobbled together at the last minute. Unsurprisingly, India exited early, failing to make it past the group stage.
Former head coach Igor Stimac’s strained relationship with the AIFF is another recurring theme in the book. Basu reveals how Chaubey allegedly made major decisions — including confirming India’s participation in the 2024 Merdeka Cup — without consulting Stimac. The Croatian coach, sacked earlier this year, was left frustrated and unheard.
“Stimac’s biggest complaint was that he never had a chance to explain his side of the story and his plans with the national team because he was hardly given an audience,” Basu writes.
With a journalist’s precision and a storyteller’s touch, Who Stole My Football chronicles a period many in Indian football would rather forget — but one that desperately needs to be remembered.
