Budget Shock: AIFF spends only 51% of ₹8.78 crore meant for Indian football

Indian football continues to struggle off the field, and this time the numbers tell the story. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has revealed that it used only ₹4.38 crore out of the ₹8.78 crore allocated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for FY 2024–2025. That’s just 51.02% of the total budget.

The funds weren’t meant for luxuries but for the essentials — training camps, domestic competitions, and exposure tours. These are the building blocks of player development. Yet, a large portion of the money is simply lying unused. The question is unavoidable: is this poor planning, lack of seriousness, or outright negligence?

This isn’t just underuse, it’s massive neglect. Compare it with other Asian countries — Hong Kong FA receives more than ₹55 crore a year, and Singapore FA operates with nearly ₹200 crore. When Indian football can’t even use the small amount it already has, how can it expect to match up internationally?

Even more worrying is the long-term trend. AIFF’s budget has been shrinking year after year. From ₹30 crore in 2019-20, it dropped to ₹15 crore, and now stands at just ₹9 crore. While other sports like golf, tennis, and bodybuilding have seen a rise in funding — and yoga alone has grown by nearly 400% — football, India’s second most-followed sport, continues to be ignored.

This mismanagement raises a harsh reality. If the federation cannot spend even the basic funds, how can it be trusted to nurture talent, set up grassroots programs, or build a strong national team?

For Indian football lovers, the numbers are a painful reminder that the sport’s struggle is not just on the pitch, but in the very governance that is supposed to support it.