After denial of participation last year, the relentless efforts by those stakeholders, the Jammu and Kashmir under-20 team was allowed entry in the Swami VivekanandaUnder-20 Men’s National Football Championship by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) today.

Scheduled to be held from May nine at Narayanpur in Chhatisgarh, the J&K has been placed in group-C with Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Kerela and Andaman and Nicobar with opening match against Chandigarh on May 15.

In view of the non-existent J&K Football Association (JKFA) and subsequent disaffiliation by the AIFF for failing to constitute the new body by holding fresh elections following the new constitutional framework, the same Under-20 team was denied participation last year.

With back channel efforts and pursuance with the AIFF, the J&K Sports Council (JKSC), the custodian of the game post troubles in JKFA, had already organized the preparatory camp at Srinagar.

Now, it has been reliably learnt that the AIFF, this time, has conveyed the JKSC in clear terms that ‘enough is enough, hold elections and constitute new JKFA body at the earliest or face denial of participation across all age groups’.

Important to mention here that aftermath the financial irregularities by the past administrators and infighting among different factions of JKFA, the affairs of the Football were taken overby the Government aided sports society of JKSC. Unfortunately, the JKSC failed in its efforts to sort out the issues and hold elections of the JKFA, thus attracting AIFF strict actions.

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