Videocon chief Dhoot, JSW Steel MD Jindal in I-League body

New Delhi : Business tycoon and Videocon industries chairman Venugopal Dhoot made his first venture into a football body as he has been appointed deputy chairman of the reconstituted I-League Committee.

All India Football Federation president Praful Patel reconstituted the I-League Committee and appointed Sajjan Jindal, managing director of JSW Steel, the third largest steel producer in the country, as chairman while Dhoot has been made his deputy. Top AIFF sources said the appointment of Jindal and Dhoot was reflective of the football body`s efforts to associate corporate honchos in the elite league. "The AIFF has been striving hard to convince corporate honchos to take interest in football and the appointment of Jindal and Dhoot was one such initiative," a top AIFF official told to reporters. Dhoot is reportedly close to Patel and was part of a consortium which had lost out to Sahara group in the IPL bid for Pune franchisee recently. At that time, there were reports that Patel, also Civil Aviation minister, had tied up with Dhoot in the IPL bid. Other members of the I-League Committee, which is meeting here on November 19 ahead of its opening on November 26, are Indian Football Association secretary U K Ganguli and Elvis Gomes from Goa Football Association. Wali Mohammed made it to the committee as representative from Western India Football Association, Maharashtra, while Inder Singh, N K Bhatia and E Krishna Narayana were included as representatives of Punjab Football Association, Delhi Soccer Association and Kerala Football Association respectively.The clubs are represented by P Bhaskaran (Viva Kerala), Vijay Bali (JCT), R Rajan Joseph (HAL), Cutsodio Almedia (Dempo), Nandan Piramal (Pune FC) and from East Bengal. AIFF general secretary Kushal Das, treasurer Hardev Jadeja and executive member Larsing M Sawyan are the ex officio members of the I-League Committee. PTI