IFA Elections: Anirban Dutta elected as the new general secretary

Anirban Dutta, following in the footsteps of his father and famous sports administrator Pradyot Dutta, officially took charge of Indian Football Association (IFA) as its new general secretary on Monday after the IFA Elections results were published.

A week after Joydeep Mukherjee stepped down as IFA secretary, Anirban was elected to the post unopposed in the association's governing body meeting.

"The biggest and immediate challenge for me is to kick-start the local league. This is for the first time since the pandemic, the Calcutta Football League is going to be held across all divisions in a full-fledged way. Moreover, the fact that the league will be an age-based tournament, throws up an added challenge," the 43-year-old Anirban, who now became the youngest secretary at the IFA, said after assuming charge.

His elevation to the key post came about two months after he came into sports administration as treasurer of the IFA. Anirban's father Pradyot Dutta served the IFA as its secretary from 1984 to 1991.

With the Durand Cup set to start in mid-August, Anirban stressed on starting the league "as early as possible." He also highlighted that both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the CFL Premier Division.

The IFA Elections starts a new phase for West Bengal football and its grassroots development with Anirban Dutta at its helm.

"I'll sit with all stakeholders of the game and set the ball rolling for the league as early as possible. I also believe that both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will play for the larger interest of the game," he maintained. Meanwhile, Subrata Dutta and Ajit Banerjee were re-elected as the IFA's chairman and president respectively while Debashis Sarkar was named the new treasurer."