The website of the Football Players’ Association of India (FPAI) was launched on Thursday afternoon at a press conference in New Delhi. FPAI which is the brainchild of the Indian national football captain, Baichung Bhutia, was formed on 13th August 2006 and is registered with the FIFPro (the international body for players).
“We have been wanting to launch this website for sometime now. It will not only help us to interact more with the fans but also with those players who want help from us to solve their problems, said Baichung, who is also the President of FPAI. The website www.fpaofindia.com will provide football fans a glimpse into the daily life of Indian football stars, and keep them abreast of the ongoing events.
FPAI will function as the parent body of the players and will work closely with the national and state associations for the game's development. The FPAI plans to look after the welfare of players and educate and advice them by engaging professionals also aims to provide assistance to current and former players struggling physically or financially. FPAI is aiming to provide insurance coverage to its members by 2010.
The membership to FPAI is open to both former and current players and also to foreign players plying their trade in India. Kerala’s NP Pradeep (Executive Committee member) and Joe Paul Ancheri are also members of FPAI.
FPAI has been able to hold some charity matches for the benefit of some ex-players, camps for the training of kids, facilitate transfer dispute of players, etc. However, given that most of the members and key office-bearers are active players, it needs to be seen how they will be able to dedicate time for the successful functioning of the association.
Former player, Sumit Mukherjee has been named as CEO of FPAI. Hopefully the FPAI does not commit the same mistakes which are common with other associations in India. While it’s great to have current players running the association, the importance of having professionals in key roles cannot be underestimated.
Jason Morais writes for Footballkerala.com
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Friday 28 August 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.