Alex Ambrose: I have done nothing wrong

Sacked under-17 women’s football assistant coach Ambrose claims allegations of sexual misconduct against him are baseless; slaps legal notice on AIFF for unfair termination

Former India striker and assistant coach of the U-17 women’s football team, Alex Ambrose, 40, is furious at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for firstly “tarnishing his reputation with false allegations of sexual misconduct” and then sacking him “unfairly and unconstitutionally.”

Sent home from Europe

Dadar resident Ambrose was sent home midway through the team’s ongoing tour of Italy and Norway as part of India’s preparations ahead of hosting the U-17 World Cup in October, after one of the players levelled charges of sexual misconduct against him. Subsequently, AIFF, via an email on July 1, summoned him for a disciplinary hearing on July 4 at their headquarters in New Delhi. Ambrose requested for a later date as he had just arrived from Italy and needed time to make his travel arrangements. However, a day later, on July 2, AIFF terminated his contract.

Ambrose has now served the sport’s national governing body a legal notice for defamation, demanding they withdraw the termination letter and restore his services. “I do not know who is doing this to me and why. I have done nothing wrong and all I’m asking is an opportunity to be able to put forward my side of the story and to know the details of these allegations. This is unfair. I have served the country as a player between 2000 and 2005 and thereafter as coach [helping the women’s team win a bronze medal at the U-18 SAFF Championships in Bhutan 2018, a gold medal at the U-17 Reliance tournament in Kolkata  in 2019, a gold medal at U-15 SAFF Championships in Bhutan in 201 9, a silver medal in the U-19 SAFF Championships in Bangladesh  in 2021]. The AIFF cannot just bin me like this,” Ambrose told mid-day over the phone from Panjim, Goa.

‘Image brutally destroyed’

The legal notice, a copy of which is with mid-day, sent by Mumbai advocate Madhukar Dalvi, claims that Ambrose’s “image and reputation have been brutally destroyed by the AIFF by posting and publishing frivolous news/accusations against him without making any enquiries, issuing any show cause notice, giving him any opportunity to give his say and express his stand. He has not even been intimated about the charges levelled against him. And without any of the above, a verdict seems to have been passed against him, punishing and penalising him for things he has not done at all. The above reckless action of the AIFF amounts to grave violation of the basic cannons of natural justice. It is arbitrary and unconstitutional and is in total disregard to the rule of law and legal principles.” 

Further, it states that Ambrose, “reserves his right to file appropriate legal proceedings against the AIFF for defamation civil as well as criminal and also claim compensation and damages for the massive professional losses and damage to reputation caused to my client, mental trauma, character assassination etc.”

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