AIFF bid to waive Rs 20 crore fixed deposit to pay Brazil and Uruguay for friendlies stalled

India took on five-time world champions Brazil in a prestigious international friendly in Kolkata last month Panaji: The All India Football Federation’s proposal to scrap its fixed deposit of Rs 20 crore to pay Brazil and Uruguay for last month’s international friendlies was put on hold by members of the general body, who said such a move could only be allowed in an emergency.The AIFF invited five-time world champions Brazil and former World Cup and Olympics winners Uruguay for two high-profile international friendlies against India in Kolkata last month. World Cuppers Panama also played a friendly in Bengaluru. But while Panama was paid in full, sources said Brazil and Uruguay only received 50% of their appearance fees.According to sources, the AIFF has now sought an extension in the deadline for clearing outstanding payments to Brazil (approximately Rs 19 crore) and Uruguay (approximately Rs 4.7 crore) for friendly matches.“The AIFF president (Kalyan Chaubey) asked the members to approve the withdrawal of money from the fixed deposit (before maturity) and said he would get the money back in the account later,” a senior official told TOI on Monday. “Members objected to (Vice President) NA Haris, who reminded everyone that the executive committee had earlier taken a decision not to use fixed deposit funds.”Another member told TOI that the fixed deposit is from Praful Patel’s tenure as president (2018-2022). A former FIFA Council member who attended the virtual meeting spoke out against the proposal to breach the FD and was supported by several presidents of member associations.The total amount owed was not mentioned at the meeting due to confidentiality clauses in the contracts. It was later decided to form a core group, chaired by Haris, where the finer details would be shared.“Until the executive committee approves, the money from the fixed deposit cannot be used to pay the fees,” another official said.Apart from performance fees, the AIFF may also return a portion of the ₹25 crore paid to them by the ticketing partner as a “refundable deposit”. The federation initially hoped that the ticket revenue would be in the region of ₹30–40 million, giving them a substantial profit, but high ticket prices meant that ticket sales fell short of expectations.Low ticket sales even prompted the AIFF to announce discounted tickets for supporters of the three big clubs in Kolkata – Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting – while the federation’s social media accounts also advertised “get two tickets for the price of one with an exclusive Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer for India vs Brazil”.Five-time world champions Brazil arrived in India with a complete squad that featured Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr, apart from Marquinhos, PSG’s captain during their back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles, Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes, Endrick (Real Madrid) and Estavao (Chelsea).