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Former AIFF general secretary Kushal Das passes away at age of 65 | Football News

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Veteran administrator and former All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das, who played a significant role in organising the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India, died here on Friday.


Das was 65. He held the position of AIFF general secretary for 12 years before resigning in 2022 on health grounds.


Before entering football administration in 2010, Das had served as Chief Financial Officer of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and International Management Group (IMG) India.


He breathed his last at a private hospital in the capital, according to Shaji Prabhakaran, another long-time football administrator who succeeded Das as the AIFF’s full-time secretary general in 2022 after former I-League CEO Sunando Dhar served as the acting GS for a brief while.

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“Former AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das passed away this morning at a private hospital in Delhi. Sending my deepest sympathies and prayers to his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. Om Shanti,” Prabhakaran wrote on his ‘X’ handle.


During his tenure, the Indian national team qualified for three AFC Asian Cup tournaments besides the country hosting the prestigious FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time in 2017, which he described as “game changer” for Indian football at the time. 


The event set a record for the most-attended FIFA youth World Cup in history. He also secured hosting rights for the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

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Das also played a key role in bringing Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) as a marketing partner of AIFF in 2010, which led to the launch of the Indian Super League (ISL). He often credited this partnership with saving the AIFF from financial crisis after previous broadcasters moved on.


Under his guidance, the AIFF launched the Golden Baby Leagues and a structured youth development system, including age-group leagues that forced clubs and academies to focus on long-term player pipelines.


Das’ tenure in the AIFF coincided with Praful Patel’s reign as its president, and the former had sent his resignation to the Committee of Administrators which was then running Indian football after the Patel-led dispensation was ousted by the Supreme Court for not holding elections on time.


Das was re-appointed as AIFF’s general secretary for a second term of another three years in 2013.

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Das completed his BSc in Mathematics at the St. Stephen’s College in Delhi.

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Huge new feud starts for Sami Zayn on SmackDown following another tense argument with Cody Rhodes

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The tensions between Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes continued on SmackDown, as the segment once more ended with Sami getting frustrated. However, a new feud also started in the process.

This week on SmackDown, in a backstage segment, Sami Zayn congratulated Cody Rhodes and said that he did exactly what he claimed he would, which was to reclaim the Undisputed WWE Championship. Sami also wished Randy Orton well, and this became a point of tension, with Sami telling Cody that he looked up to Randy Orton and not to The American Nightmare. The reason for this, according to Sami, is that Orton is a 14-time World Champion and a legend, whereas Cody Rhodes is his friend. This is why he considers himself an equal to Cody despite the fact that he is a World Champion and Sami isn’t. Cody once again suggested that Sami was trying to “position himself” for a title shot after WrestleMania 42, and Sami responded by saying that he couldn’t believe Cody thought so low of him.

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Cody then told Sami Zayn that he doesn’t need to look up to him – he just needs to look at the (WWE) Title. As he walked away, Sami once again found himself throwing bottles and smacking objects in frustration. After this, Zelina Vega and Aleister Black came swooping in, asking Sami whether he thought that maybe the World Title wasn’t meant for him. Sami told Aleister Black that he needed to stay far away, essentially kickstarting a new feud.

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It’s going to be interesting to see what comes of this tense set of exchanges between Sami and Cody. One would imagine that they will eventually make up and become friends again, or one of them, presumably Sami, decides to turn and betray the other. Either way, the Aleister Black feud might just play into that.