AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: Federation President Mr Kalyan Chaubey and Secretary General Dr Shaji Prabhakaran met key office bearers of Indian Football Association (IFA) in Kolkata, on Monday, May 7, 2023, to discuss the growth of Bengal football.

IFA President Mr Ajit Bandopadhyay, Honorary Secretary Mr Anirban Dutta, and several key office bearers were present at this first of a kind meeting between the IFA and the Federation.

Discussions entailed resolving issues faced by IFA for football development in the state. Upon the suggestion of Mr Chaubey, the IFA will start an U23 Inter-District tournament to help young players showcase their talents, and this way, local clubs might find more talents from different districts of Bengal.

Speaking about the meeting, Mr Chaubey said: "It was a productive meeting with the IFA management, where we openly discussed many aspects of football. Barring foreign players from local leagues will provide more opportunities to local players. To fill the gap, we proposed that IFA initiate an U23 Inter-District tournament from next season."