Sudeva Delhi FC on Wednesday decided not to appoint Alex Ambrose as its head coach after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) indicated that it would not accept the appointment of a man accused of alleged sexual misconduct involving a minor. The Delhi-based club had applied for approval from the AIFF as it is mandatory to register players and staff under the Centralized Registration System (CRS). Ambrose was sacked as assistant coach of the Indian women’s U-17 team last year over allegations of sexual misconduct during a training and experience tour of Europe.
A Delhi court had in February issued an arrest warrant against him after an FIR under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act was registered at a police station in Dwarka. Ambrose has denied the allegations. Sudeva Delhi FC owner Anuj Gupta told PTI on Wednesday, “Considering the entire scenario and taking into account any possible impact from fans and other stakeholders, we have decided not to go ahead and release him (Ambrose) from our home.” The club has decided not to appoint him as coach. “He said,” The agreement (with Ambrose) is not yet completed and we have no financial obligations towards him. So we are not going ahead with our planned appointment (with Ambrose) as team coach.
