"Comes as a shock...": Shaji Prabhakaran opens up on AIFF's decision to terminate him

New Delhi [India], November 8 (ANI): After the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced the termination of Shaji Prabhakaran due to an alleged breach of trust on Wednesday, the former AIFF Secretary General said that it came as a shock to him.
Prabhakaran took to his official social media account and said they were working as a team and the AIFF's decision was unexpected.
Prabhakaran added that he remains a servant of the beautiful game and thanked his fans for supporting him.
"AIFF's decision to terminate me comes as a shock. We were working as a team. Charging me for 'breach of trust' is a massive allegation. More on this later. I remain a servant of the beautiful game and thank you all who have supported me in my honest effort for Indian football," the former AIFF Secretary General wrote on X.

Celebrating the birthday of true icon #Ulaganayagan,@ikamalhaasan sir!Your continuous contributions bring immense pride!

It's an absolute honor to be a part of the celebrations with the one and only #AamirKhan sir, and to share this special day with actors like ever- charming… pic.twitter.com/QqtE9mLqrx

— VISHNU VISHAL - VV (@TheVishnuVishal) November 7, 2023

Earlier, AIFF released a press note where they announced the termination of Prabhakaran from his role with immediate effect due to a breach of trust.
"The All India Football Federation hereby announces that the services of Shaji Prabhakaran have been terminated due to breach of trust with immediate effect as of November 7, 2023," AIFF said in an official statement.

Celebrating the birthday of true icon #Ulaganayagan,@ikamalhaasan sir!Your continuous contributions bring immense pride!

It's an absolute honor to be a part of the celebrations with the one and only #AamirKhan sir, and to share this special day with actors like ever- charming… pic.twitter.com/QqtE9mLqrx

— VISHNU VISHAL - VV (@TheVishnuVishal) November 7, 2023

The AIFF Deputy Secretary, M Satyanarayan, will take charge as Acting Secretary General of AIFF with immediate effect.
Prabhakaran was appointed to the position last September, replacing Kushal Das as part of AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey's new team. In the last year, AIFF has attempted to resurrect the once-prestigious Santosh Trophy by moving the tournament's final stage to Saudi Arabia. For the first time since 2018, the men's national team entered the top 100 FIFA rankings.
On November 6, Shaji Prabhakaran in a cryptic post on X said that the office bearers needed to work with sincerity and without personal interests.
"We have to remain true to our game and when we have the position of power and influence then our responsibility is far higher to do our work with sincerity and dedication without any personal interests. Never allow personal interests to dominate the mind and decisions. Let's focus on our mission to transform football and make India proud. There can't be a bigger satisfaction in life than to see India shining on the pitch on a bigger stage" he had posted on X.
Shaji Prabhakaran was earlier the president of Football Delhi. On September 6, 2022, he resigned from that position and took over as AIFF secretary general.
In another post on X, Prabhakaran, who was recently appointed as an AFC executive member, complained about a lack of money inside the federation to establish the Video Assistant Referral (VAR) system in Indian football leagues. (ANI)