Slapping women players in inebriated state, instructions to keep door open at night: Accusations mount against AIFF Ex-co member 

Deepak Sharma, a member of the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) Executive Committee, has been accused of physically assaulting two women footballers while being under the influence of alcohol on Friday.

The local police and the Goa Football Federation have launched separate investigations against Deepak, who is also the general secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Football Association.

Recalling the harrowing incident, one of the girls told Sportstar, “We had a match on Thursday and I had picked up an injury in it. So, I did not have dinner with the team that night. But I knew that I would be hungry since I had played the game.

“So, around 11 pm, I boiled some eggs. A friend (teammate) of mine was in the kitchen with me and sir called her, asking what was she doing at this hour there. When she told him that I was having dinner, he shouted at her and sent her to her room. I also rushed to the room to see what had happened and she was crying.”

Deepak allegedly shouted at the player. “He said, ‘Are you someone special, do you have more money?’ and threw the eggs on the ground. I requested sir to please understand that I had not eaten anything but he kept shouting and I threw the eggs (in the dustbin) and went back to my room, crying,” she said.

“We were six girls in the room then and one of the girls was changing her clothes. Even before any of them could ask what happened, sir rushed into the room without knocking and slapped me,” the player said.

“My teammate, who was getting dressed, tried to stop him, but he pushed her aside. She then got dressed and asked him to leave the room and said that he should not hit someone like that,” the player added.

Deepak, as reported by the players, left the room, but his wife – Nandita Sharma, the official team manager – tried to defend her husband. “She started scolding us as if we were at fault,” the player said.

Instructed to not shut the door at night

The player further added that Deepak was not listed in the team’s list of four team officials and was the only male to accompany the team to Goa.

“She (Nandita) did not travel with us. The day we left from Khad, we were 17 girls and sir was the only male. Throughout the journey (to Goa), he kept drinking,” she said.

Deepak had also allegedly instructed the girls to not bolt their doors at night. “He told us not to lock our doors and his wife, our manager, was yet to join the team. He was not one of the officials but he was still staying in the same place where we were living,” the player added.

The team was staying in a 3BHK villa in Mapusa, with the coach and his wife occupying one room, six girls staying in the second and five in the third. The remaining girls stayed in the hall.

“He had put in a message in our official group that no one should bolt the door at night. Despite his instructions, we used to shut (bolt) the door. We did not feel safe around him,” the player added.

The account reads eerily similar to the Spanish football scandal, which saw the ouster of Jorge Vilda, the coach of the women’s national team. “When we were going to bed, we had to leave the door open and wait for (Jorge Vilda) to come by and speak to us,” Jennifer Hermoso, the star of Spain’s women’s team had said in an interview with TV channel Cuatro in January 2024.

Though Deepak is not as powerful as Rubiales or Vilda, he holds substantial power in the Indian football system. He is the chairperson of the AIFF Infrastructure Committee and deputy chairperson of the Competition Committee.

While the Rubiales scandal was a watershed moment in Spanish football’s history, formal action is yet to be taken against Deepak. Mapusa police are investigating the matter and have already interrogated him.

The victims have decided to file an FIR at the Mapusa police station and the GFA has ensured that a lawyer will be hired and their expenses will be handled for a smoother investigation.

Taking cognizance of the matter, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tweeted, “The Ministry of Sports has taken a serious note of an alleged physical assault upon women footballers by an official during the ongoing Indian Women’s League in Goa.”

“All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been directed to take quick action and ensure the safety and security of our footballers. The ministry has further directed AIFF to take strong legal action and inform the ministry about actions taken. The safety and security of players are our utmost priority.”