Alberto Colaco nominates himself for AFC award?

NEW DELHI - Alberto Colaco, former general secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), has been accused of nominating himself for the prestigious Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Distinguished Service Gold Star Award.

Colaco, however, defended his action, and said that he does not need the permission of the AIFF executive committee to file his nomination for the award.

“I did no wrong. I have not violated the constitution of the AIFF. I informed the AIFF president (Praful Patel) before filing the papers,” Colaco told IANS.

A senior member of the executive committee told IANS that Colaco, who will receive the award during the 24th AFC Congress gala dinner Jan 5 in Doha, during his tenure earlier this year recommended himself for the award and did not consult the committee.

“It was unethical on part of Colaco to recommend himself for the award. Recommending officials for awards is the prerogative of the executive committee. In fact, Tamil Nadu Football Association (TNFA) had recommended coaching director Gabriel Joseph for the AFC ‘Distinguished Coach’ award, but Colaco never forwarded it to the AFC. He also did not recommend any Indian for the referees award, the official said.

When Colaco was asked why Gabriel’s name was not forwarded to the AFC, he said: “Only elite coaches are recomended for the award and he does not meet the criterion.”

Colaco has been replaced as the general secretary by Kushal Das, but his contract with the AIFF ends on Jan 31, 2011.