Bhaichung, Ashalata on AIFF’s SOM list ahead of elections; no men’s footballer from Bengal included

The AIFF’s list of 40 Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit includes several former India internationals, while Ashalata Devi’s inclusion raises questions about her playing future.

Updated : Nov 04, 2026 21:47 IST , CHENNAI - 3 MINS READ

File Photo: Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia was among the 40 Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit named by the All India Football Federation ahead of its December 20 elections. | Photo Credit: ANI

The All India Football Federation on Wednesday announced the list of 40 Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) ahead of its elections next month.

Section 4(1)(a) of the National Sports Governance Act mandates a National Sports Body’s General Body to have SOMs, while Section 4(1)(b)(i) mandates that at least two members of the Executive Committee must be SOMs.

Accordingly, the AIFF sent a notice for SOMs to submit their nominations by October 10, with the final list announced on Wednesday.

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Former India stars Bhaichung Bhutia, I.M. Vijayan and Jo Paul Ancheri are some of the prominent names from men’s football, while Oinam Bembem Devi, Aditi Chauhan and L. Ashalata Devi are among the key former internationals on the women’s list.

Interestingly, there is no men’s footballer from Bengal on the list.

Another notable inclusion on the list is Ashalata, which raises questions about the Indian defender’s playing future. The five-time Indian Women’s League (IWL) and four-time SAFF Women’s Championship winner is yet to get into the East Bengal squad this season because she has not received a No Objection Certificate from Railways, and the SOMs are considered for elections or nominations only once they have retired.

The eligibility criteria for Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) as outlined under the National Sports Governance Act. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The elections for the AIFF will take place on December 20, in which Rajeev Sharma, former State Election Commissioner of Haryana, will serve as the Electoral Officer. The SOMs will be eligible to be nominated or elected as:

• one of the four (4) SOM members forming part of the AIFF General Body (two (2) SOMs being male and two (2) SOMs being female); and/or
• one of the two (2) SOM members of the Executive Committee of AIFF (one (1) SOM being male
• and one (1) SOM being female.

Full roster of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit:

Bruno Coutinho, I.M. Vijayan, Baichung Bhutia, Sethumadhavan, Victor Manjila, Abdul Majeed Kakroo, K.T. Chacko, U. Sharaf Ali, Mushtage Ali, Santosh Kashyap, K.A. Anson, Bhupinder Thakur, Mohd. Yusuf Ansari, K.V. Dhanesh, Raman Vijayan, Syed Shabir Pasha, Jo Paul Ancheri, Abdul Hakkim, Climax Lawrence and K. Ajayan.

Oinam Bembem Devi, Chitra Gangadharan, S. Lalitha, Mario Rebello, Sradhanjali Samantaray, Aditi Chauhan, L. Ashalata Devi, Shukla Datta, Bentla D’Coth, Meenu Solanki, Uvena Fernandes, P. Shivashankari, Disha Malhotra Julka, Swati Rawat, M. Mary Margaret, Subhitha Poovatta, Sheeba W, Teena L. Volvojkar, Kalpana Dass and Vanitha Gadaily.