New Delhi, March 31 (NationPress) The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has responded to claims of harassment and "heckling" made by Valanka Alemao, a female Executive Committee member who also serves on the FIFA Women’s Development Committee.

Alemao addressed a letter to Martin Ngoga, the chair of the FIFA Ethics Committee, and Laura Georges, the chair of the FIFA Women’s Football Committee, requesting an investigation and action in accordance with FIFA Statutes.

In her letter dated March 30, which was reported by IANS, she stated, "I am also considering presenting this issue in other significant forums to prevent this pattern of harassment and humiliation faced by female members. I urge you to take my complaint seriously and take the necessary steps."

Speaking exclusively to IANS, a senior AIFF official voiced strong opposition to the allegations, asking, "Someone should clarify what 'heckling' really means. What was that about? There were 13 members in that boardroom. What constitutes heckling, and how do we define 'raising one's voice'? That is what I want to understand.

"This is merely an attempt to blackmail our primary mission. The board comprised all respected and dignified members, including the sports minister of Mizoram and the chair of the parallel development committee. Why would anyone heckle anyone else?"

Alemao had previously written to the AIFF on March 29, alleging that Chaubey, along with Vice President N.A. Haris and Deputy Secretary General Satyanarayan, aimed derogatory and disrespectful comments at her, raising their voices repeatedly and attempting to intimidate her.

"In her letter to the president, vice president, deputy secretary, and committee members, what does that imply? Is there any mention of heckling in that statement? She claimed the deputy secretary's voice exceeded an acceptable decibel level. Is there a specific decibel level defined for speaking?" the official questioned.

The AIFF representative further asserted that there was no harassment, gender discrimination, or any form of inappropriate behavior during the meeting. "There are no allegations against me. I don’t need to defend myself or provide any clarifications. The background of the issue has been outlined. Remember this: there was no heckling, no harassment, no distinctions made based on gender or behavior."

The dispute arose from an executive committee meeting focused on the adoption of the National Sports Governance Act and a significant 20-year commercial bid for the federation.

"It's a boardroom. In a boardroom, everyone presents themselves in the same capacity. This meeting was convened to address two agenda items: the adoption of the National Sports Governance Act by member associations, which include state associations.

"The second point was that the AIFF has secured a 20-year commercial bid for the federation. Nothing more was discussed beyond these items. Logically, you can either agree with this reasoning or disagree with it," the official concluded.