Author: Boria Majumdar

In a serous development, FIFA has literally put the AIFF on notice. In a letter addressed to President Kalyan Chaubey dated 25 August 2025, FIFA has expressed acute disappointment with what is going on in Indian football. It has outlined a series of steps the AIFF need to take urgently to avoid possible suspension. The deadline set is October 30, 2025. In what could be seen as a defining paragraph, FIFA has written, “In this context, we kindly remind the AIFF of its obligation to manage its affairs independently and without any undue third-party influence, including government bodies, as enshrined…

Boria Majumdar If you ever feel down, Mohammed Siraj is the perfect therapy. Yes, he is a very good bowler and a match-winner. But more importantly, he is a fine human being who has his heart in the right place. There are some things that are recorded, and some that are not. In the 30-minute chat that we had, which was aired yesterday, Siraj spoke his heart out. But let me say that the parts which weren’t recorded were as touching. At the very start of the interview, I asked him how things were and how his restaurant was coming…

One final meeting between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) is to happen tomorrow at 4.30 pm and sources say it is expected to go on long. It is the meeting that will decide the final blue print of the solution to be presented by the AIFF-FSDL combine before the Supreme Court on 28 August at 1 pm. Four definite things are being looked at. The first is transparency. How the deal will be structured going ahead and what are the various aspects of the agreement. This is to ensure no one points fingers…

It is not one or the other. It is one with the other. FSDL and AIFF are working on a possible long-term solution for Indian football with an aim to also start the delayed season of the ISL as soon as possible. While the solution hasn’t been ironed out as yet, the intent is there and things are expected to be firmed up over the next two days. Sources in the know confirm to Revsportz, “Nothing has moved since yesterday but today and tomorrow are key days in working things out. Multiple stakeholders and key institutions need to be consulted…

A RevSportz Exclusive With workload management dictating that Jasprit Bumrah sat out the Edgbaston and Oval Tests, Mohammed Siraj stepped up in a big way, taking match figures of 7-127 in the first game and 9-190 in the second. He was also the only quick bowler on either side to play all five Tests. In this exclusive interview with Boria Majumdar, he spoke of how Test cricket motivates him, that dramatic final morning at The Oval, and what Virat Kohli taught him about aggression and working a crowd. Boria: With so much being talked about workload management in recent time,…

Mohammed Siraj has always been a big Virat Kohli supporter. That the two have a special bond is well known. Siraj blossomed under Kohli’s captaincy, and has enjoyed playing under him. So, it was an obvious question to ask. Right through the England series, Siraj was the aggressor. He was the one who would push the bowlers, get the crowd going and play a lead role in pumping the team up. Much like what Kohli used to do all through his career. ‘Was it conscious and had he learnt it from Virat?’ I asked him. It was as if Siraj…

Cheteshwar Pujara has hung up his boots after an inspiring career. In a freewheeling chat with RevSportz’s Editor-in-Chief Boria Majumdar, he spoke about different subjects, including his potential coaching journey. Excerpts: Boria: Why the call (retirement) now? Did you still not have cricket left in you? Pujara: When I started playing junior cricket for Saurashtra, I always dreamt of playing for the country and when I got an opportunity to represent the U-19 Indian team, it became one of the proudest moments of my life, and since then my career has progressed. Then came in 2010 the opportunity to be a…

Boria Majumdar Indian football urgently needs a solution. With the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) meeting in good faith at some point today, three things need to be ironed out. First, the assumption is that FSDL had a monopoly call over Indian football rights, and it was an exploitative relationship. To gauge the ground reality, the best thing to do is float a tender. Let the AIFF float a tender, with FSDL agreeing to that call, and it will be known if there are takers for Indian football rights – companies that can help…

Crushing the pain barrier – mental and physical – became Cheteshwar Pujara’s calling card during an illustrious 13 years in the Indian jersey, the highest point being January 19, 2021. That day, he knew that he had to survive the first two hours at The Gabba if India wanted to make what till then looked like an improbable victory into reality. To add to his challenges, on one side of the track there were cracks. They had been created as the match had gone on, and balls started misbehaving frequently. “It was tough, but I knew I had a job…

Late American playwright John Patrick had once said: “Pain makes man think. Thought makes man wise. Wisdom makes life endurable.” Cheteshwar Pujara’s greatest strength is knowing his limitations. It’s an attribute that goes unrecognised. But it’s a vital part of a human being’s mental make-up. Knowing what you can do and where you stand. His retirement is yet one more reminder. He has given it his all. He knew there was nothing more left to give. He has decided to move on and with grace. This attribute was best evident to me when he described his approach to Nathan Lyon…