Former All India Football Federation (AIFF) Vice-President A.R. Khaleel passed away here on Wednesday. He was 91.
Khaleel, who had served as the president of the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) for 28 years, had also served as the AIFF treasurer and executive committee member. On occasion, Khaleel was a member of Asian Football Confederation Standing Committees.
He founded Jawahar Union FC, a top club in Karnataka. Khaleel became a member of the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) in 1953, before taking over as KSFA President in 1989.
An AIFF statement noted that “Khaleel will always be remembered for the exemplary work he did in acquiring land and building the Bangalore Football Stadium”.
AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, AIFF Secretary General Shaji Prabhakaran, KSFA and BDFA condoled his demise.