On the night of March 28, two players from Khad FC, a team that plays in the Indian Women’s Football (IWL) League second division in Himachal Pradesh, claimed that Sharma, the club’s owner, had broken into their room and physically attacked them.
On Tuesday, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) suspended Deepak Sharma, a member of the federation’s executive committee, for allegedly abusing and misbehaving with two female football players from a club while they were in Goa for the upcoming Indian Women’s League 2.
The owner of the team, Sharma, was accused by two football players of Khad FC, located in Himachal Pradesh and competing in the Indian Women’s Football (IWL) League second tier, of breaking into their room on the evening of March 28 and assaulting them physically.
The AIFF released a statement saying, “The AIFF Executive Committee has decided to suspend Mr. Deepak Sharma from participating in any football-related activities until further notice.”
In accordance with Indian Penal Code sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 354A (sexual harassment), the Goa police arrested Deepak Sharma on Saturday and filed a formal complaint.
The two ladies said that they were frying eggs when dinner was done when they returned to their lodging following a match in the Indian ladies’s League second division, according to the complaint letter they sent to the AIFF, which The Indian Express was able to view. The girls said that Sharma broke into their apartments while drunk and attacked them. According to the letter, Sharma was seen consuming alcohol in front of the females both on the way from Himachal to Delhi and in Goa.
The AIFF also disbanded the three-person committee that had been established on March 30 to look into the incident on Tuesday and forwarded the case to its Disciplinary Committee.
“The AIFF will take all necessary measures to guarantee that women’s football is promoted in a safe and supportive atmosphere. AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey stated, “The case has now been referred to the Disciplinary Committee and will be taken up emergently.”
“The AIFF will keep offering any assistance that may be required and has taken all necessary measures to ensure the complainants’ safe return to their hometowns.” From his appointment as its president, he said that the AIFF has led the way in the advancement of women’s football.
Between September 2022 and March 2024, 15,293 female players registered, bringing the total number of registered female players in the nation to 27,030. Chaubey stated, “One of the most positive trends is the increase in the number of women football players in various age categories.
