The AIFF Awards are the annual Indian football awards presented to the best footballers in India by the All India Football Federation. Lallianzuala Chhangte and Indumathi Kathiresan were named the AIFF Best Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year 2023-24 at the AIFF Awards 2023-24 in New Delhi. Khalid Jamil won the Best Men’s Coach Award while Sukla Dutta was named the Best Women’s Coach Award. David Lalhlansanga and Neha claimed the best Promising Men’s and Women's Player of the Year award.

Read Also: Indian football transfer news: East Bengal sign Jeakson Singh; Mohun Bagan rope in Greg Stewart

Lallianzuala Chhangte was awarded the Men’s Player of the Year for the second time in a row, becoming only the fifth player to win the award multiple times. He netted 11 goals and provided 7 assists in all competitions for his club Mumbai City FC. He was the highest-scoring Indian player in the ISL. Chhangte scored against Qatar for the nation in Doha in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in June 2024.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 🌟

Lallianzuala Chhangte once again won the AIFF Men's Player of the year for 2023/24 season#IndianFootball⚽ #AIFFAwards pic.twitter.com/qEsDxXWPNR
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 19, 2024

Chhangte said, “I am so honored to receive this award. Although I can’t be there, I’m sending a huge thank you to our Hon’ble Sports Minister Sir. Thank you so much for this prestigious award, which I feel undeserving. And tonight, I thank God, my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ for His guidance, protection, and blessings. He’s the only reason why I am here. Next, my family who have been my biggest supporters since day one. My friends and family from Mumbai City FC and my brothers in the national team. This is not possible for me without you guys backing me up.”

Indumathi Kathiresan won the AIFF Women’s Player of the Year. She became the first player from Tamil Nadu to win the award. The midfielder won the 2023-24 Indian Women’s League title with Odisha FC, scoring five goals. Indumathi won the Best Midfielder award in the IWL. For the Indian national team, she scored against Estonia in the Turkish Women’s Cup in February 2024.

The Supreme Superstar 😎

Indumathi Kathiresan emerges as the winner of AIFF Women's Player of the year 2023/24 season#IndianFootball⚽ #AIFFAwards pic.twitter.com/FfOhcaOKew
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 19, 2024

Indumathi said, “I’m delighted to be here tonight and receive this award. I didn’t expect to win it. I’m so happy and I would like to thank my coach and my teammates for helping me win this award.”

Striker David Lalhlansanga was awarded the AIFF Promising Men’s Player of the Year for his consistent goalscoring form. The 22-year-old scored 34 goals for Mohammedan Sporting in last season’s I-League, Calcutta Football League, and the Durand Cup, helping his side win two titles. He was the top scorer in the CFL and the Durand Cup which helped him earn his first national team call-up in May 2024 for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

The Emerging Talent 🪄

David Lalhlansanga is crowned with the AIFF Men's Promising Player award of the year for season 2023/24#IndianFootball⚽ #AIFFAwards pic.twitter.com/hAiuQaRd21
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 19, 2024

Eighteen-year-old winger Neha won the AIFF Promising Women’s Player of the Year for her sensational and inspiring performances. She scored two goals in India’s SAFF U19 Women’s Championship triumph in Bangladesh. She played a huge role in Haryana’s fairy tale run to the final of the Senior Women’s National Football Championship for the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy, scoring three goals for her state. She was part of the senior India squad for the friendlies against Uzbekistan and Myanmar; a young promising talent with a deserved award.

Neha said, “I feel happy winning the award. It’s a great honour to receive the award in front of my coach and a senior player like Indu Didi who I admire. I hope I can make my country and parents proud, and I wish to keep performing well.”

Promising Star 🌟

Neha emerges as the winner of AIFF Women's Promising Talent of the year for 2023/24 season#IndianFootball⚽ #AIFFAwards pic.twitter.com/qiE12Ha12a
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 19, 2024

Jamshedpur FC head coach Khalid Jamil won the AIFF Men’s Coach of the Year. He took charge of the Red Miners midseason and helped them reach the semi-finals of the Kalinga Super Cup, their best-ever finish in that tournament.

Sukla Dutta was named the AIFF Women’s Coach of the Year. She coached and helped India to the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship title in Bangladesh. She also won the inaugural edition of the IWL 2 as the head coach of Sreebhumi FC, earning promotion to next season’s IWL.

Celebrating Khalid Jamil’s and Sukla Dutta's excellence in coaching! #IndianFootball⚽️ #AIFFAwards pic.twitter.com/DCYxpQwHfJ
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 20, 2024

Read Also: "I used to like Didika Ralte," Lallianzuala Chhangte revealed his idol during a media interaction before the Kuwait game

List of all AIFF Award winners for 2023-24:

Men’s Player of the Year: Lallianzuala Chhangte
Women’s Player of the Year: Indumathi Kathiresan
Promising Men’s Player of the Year: David Lalhlansanga
Promising Women’s Player of the Year: Neha
Men’s Coach of the Year: Khalid Jamil
Women’s Coach of the Year: Sukla Dutta
Referee of the Year: Ramachandran Venkatesh
Assistant Referee of the Year: Ujjal Halder
Most Successful MA (Club Competitions): Indian Football Association (West Bengal)
Most Successful MA (NFC Competitions): All Manipur Football Association
Best MA (Member Association) - Supporting Women’s Football: Punjab Football Association
Best MA for hosting most AIFF competitions: Football Association of Odisha and Goa Football Association
MA with most player registrations (men’s): Kerala Football Association
MA with most player registrations (women’s): Western India Football Association (Maharashtra)
Special Award for MA launching new projects: Gujarat State Football Association
MA with most Grassroots activities: Gujarat State Football Association
MA with most Youth tournaments conducted: Karnataka State Football Association
MA with most Coaching courses: Punjab Football Association
MA with most Refereeing courses: Gujarat State Football Association

Special awards for supporting various AIFF events:

Government of Odisha and Football Association of Odisha: For hosting FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, Intercontinental Cup, Kalinga Super Cup, Senior Women’s NFC Group Stage, Junior Boys’ and Girls’ NFC Tier 1 and Sub-Junior Youth League
Government of Arunachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh Football Association: For hosting the Santosh Trophy Final Round
Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council: For twice hosting the India U17 men’s national team camp and upgrading the infrastructure of the TRC Ground

Latest Stories

Subscribe Newsletter