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New Delhi, July 20 (HS). Lalianzuala Chhangte and Indumathi Kathiresan were named the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Best Male and Female Players of the Year 2023-24 at a glittering AIFF Awards Night held in the presence of many sports personalities in New Delhi on Friday.
According to the AIFF press release, among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Olympic medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, India's Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal and several other well-known faces from the Indian sports fraternity.
All the top officials of the All India Football Federation were present on the occasion, including AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, vice-president NA Haris, treasurer Kipa Ajay, officiating general secretary M Satyanarayana, executive committee members and senior officials of the state associations.
Welcoming the Sports Minister, AIFF President Choubey said, “I would like to thank Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mandaviya and all my colleagues from AIFF and IOA for joining us here. This is a special day as we honour the best players, coaches, referees, member associations and everyone associated with the Indian football fraternity who help take the sport forward in our country.”
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mandaviya said, “It is an honour to be present at this prestigious event organised by the AIFF and our friend Choubey. It is great to see the best players, coaches, referees and state associations being felicitated here. Football is the most popular sport in the world. I believe that sports is not just about playing but also about discipline and friendly behaviour. I believe that when we confer awards, we recognise their greatness and in turn encourage the winners to keep winning and perform better. Let us all pledge to take Indian sports to greater heights.”
Chhangte was awarded the AIFF Men's Player of the Year award for the second consecutive time, becoming only the fifth player to win the award multiple times. The 2023–24 Indian Super League Cup winner scored 11 goals and assisted seven in all competitions for his club Mumbai City FC and was the highest Indian goal-scorer in the ISL. For the Indian national team, Chhangte scored against Qatar in Doha in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in June 2024.
Chhangte said, “I am very honoured to receive this award. Though I cannot be there, I say a big thank you to our Sports Minister Sir. Thank you so much for this prestigious award. Tonight, I thank God, my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for His guidance, protection and blessings. He is the only reason I am here. Next, my family who have been my biggest supporters since day one. My friends and family at Mumbai City FC and my brothers in the national team. This would not have been possible for me without your support.”
Indumathi was awarded the AIFF Women's Player of the Year award, becoming 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 in the competition. 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.
Indumathi said, “I am very happy to be here tonight and receive this award. I did not expect to win it. I am very happy and I want to thank my coach and my teammates for helping me win this award.”
Here is the list of all AIFF award winners for 2023-24:
-Men's Player of the Year: Lallianzuala Chhangte
-Female Player of the Year: Indumathi Kathiresan
Male Player of the Year: David Lalhlansanga
-Female Player of the Year: Neha
Men's Coach of the Year: Khalid Jamil
-Best Women Coach of the Year: Sukla Dutta
Referee of the Year: Ramachandran Venkatesh
Assistant Referee of the Year: Ujjwal Halder
-Most successful M.A. (club competitions): Indian Football Association (West Bengal)
-Most Successful M.A.(NFC Competitions): All Manipur Football Association
-Best MA supporting women's football: Punjab Football Association
-Best MA hosting most AIFF tournaments: Football Association of Odisha and Goa Football Association
-MA with most player registrations (Men): Kerala Football Association
-MA with most player registrations (women): Western India Football Association (Maharashtra)
-Special award to MA for starting new projects: Gujarat State Football Association
-MA for most grassroots activities: Gujarat State Football Association
-MA for organising most number of youth tournaments: Karnataka State Football Association
-M.A. for most coaching courses: Punjab Football Association
-M.A. for highest refereeing course: Gujarat State Football Association
Special awards for supporting various AIFF events:
-Arunachal Pradesh Government and Arunachal Pradesh Football Association: To host Santosh Trophy Final Round
-Odisha Government and Odisha Football Association: To host 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
-Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council: For hosting India Under-17 men's national team camp twice and upgrading the infrastructure of TRC Ground.