AIFF elections returning officer rejects nomination papers of two presidential candidates

Manvendra Singh for the president's post after their respective seconders denied having signed any nomination paper. The filing of nomination papers for the election of AIFF's executive committee under the aegis of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) completed on Saturday, even though there's cloud of uncertainty over the world governing body FIFA accepting the poll process.

Alemao, daughter of Goa association president Churchill Alemao, and Rajasthan association chief Manvendra were among the seven who had filed nomination papers for the president's post. The legendary Bhaichung Bhutia, former goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey, Shaji Prabhakaran (Football Delhi president), N A Haris (Karnataka association chief) and Ajit Banerjee (IFA head and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's elder brother) were the others aspiring for the top post.

But a notification by returning officer Umesh Sinha said that Alemao and Menvendra's nomination papers were not legally valid as their respective seconders -- Amit Khemani and Harjinder Singh -- have said that they have not signed any nomination paper for any candidate. Khemani is the president of Daman and Diu football association while Harjinder is the representative of Chandigarh unit of the AIFF.

"Whereas, Harjinder's name is given as seconder for Manvendra Singh for the post of president and Amit Khemani is the seconder for Valanka Natasha Alemao, a candidate for the post of president, and considering that the aforesaid seconders for the said nominations are not legally valid... "...the nominations of Manvendra Singh and Valanka Alemao is not acceptable and accordingly (their) nominations for the post of president are rejected," the notification said.