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Fashion United
21 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion United
Global Fashion Summit: barriers remain while bridges fail to span far enough
The Global Fashion Summit, now in its 16th year, took place from 3rd to 5th June 2025 in Copenhagen. It was launched by the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) in 2009 to 'spark urgent action and accelerate impact in the fashion industry'. As in previous years, it attracted over 1000 industry leaders, including C-suite executives, leaders and participants along the value chain from over 48 countries, making it a much anticipated network event. In fact, judging by the many empty seats during some events, networking may have been the main agenda of many an onsite participant. Or it could have been the addition of a new space, the Ignite Stage, that spread out attendees over more venues. As the name suggests, the Ignite Stage was meant to provide a platform for quick, impactful presentations centred on innovation and a chance for the audience to ask questions. In true sustainable fashion, more attendance may also have decided to join online. Turning barriers into bridges In view of the immense pressure that the fashion industry is currently facing - adapting to geopolitical changes and complying with an increasingly complex regulatory environment - this year's theme was 'Barriers and Bridges'. It 'highlights the dualities of this moment, where traditional barriers have the possibility to transform into bridges for tangible change. With new legislation accelerating, the boundaries between voluntary and mandatory efforts are blurring, demanding both courage and capital to seize this moment of opportunity,' explains GFA. After all, 'a wall lying down is actually a bridge,' reminded Christiane Dolva, head of innovation and research at the H&M Foundation in the very first panel to shift perspectives as 'walls may be the future bridges'. GFA GFA CEO Federica Marchionni during her welcome address. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda 'We need to be a force for good,' stressed GFA CEO Federica Marchionni in her welcome address. 'Sustainability remains a fundamental priority for businesses, brands and consumers,' she added, especially in times where 'climate change is the only certainty.' While there is hope in innovation and solution providers, 'leadership is needed most in times of turbulence,' next to courage and cooperation. Navigating the S-word In view of new regulations and stricter guidelines, there was hesitancy, fear even, when it comes to communicating one's sustainability efforts, especially from the brands' side. Lauren Bartley, chief sustainability officer at Ganni, confirmed in a panel on 'Closing the Consumer Gap" that communicating about sustainability is a challenge. 'We are vocal about it but it is becoming more challenging, there is a lot of confusion.' Lauren Bartley, chief sustainability officer at Ganni, as part of the panel on 'Closing the Consumer Gap". Credits: Global Fashion Agenda The brand invests in fabrics of the future and enters into partnerships with makers of next-gen materials and material innovations but 'the communication around is very difficult because not only is it a new material so it has to be factually accurate. We have to be careful that it cannot be seen as greenwashing.' She also stressed the fact that complex conversations about sustainability have to be distilled to be digestible for consumers. Danish designer Henrik Vibskov agreed: 'It is tricky how to communicate whatever you do because in Denmark, we have a by-law now, we are not allowed to use the s-word. So we can only use pure facts, pure data. It is a challenge how to communicate to the end consumer that this is could be a better choice or be less harmful.' Emcee Nadir Nahdi in conversation with designer Henrik Vibskov (left). Credits: Global Fashion Agenda For some, the term sustainability was always a bit suspicious. 'Earlier, I used to say that sustainability is a bag of vomit,' admitted Sebastien Kopp, co-founder and creative director of Veja, adding 'I do not say that any more.' However, he stressed that Veja is not a sustainable brand: 'We never talked about ecology, we talked about reality. We are not a socially responsible company, we are not a sustainable company, our focus is to go to the reality of things, meaning materials, people, how is a sneaker built, what is inside a sneaker? What is beyond a sneaker?' And interestingly enough, that philosophy has enabled the brand to produce in Brazil, pay the workers there significantly more than market rate and use expensive materials, all while offering competitive prices and without relying on investors or loans. The secret? 'No advertising at all. It is all word of mouth,' said Kopp, adding that advertising costs can make up 50 to 60 percent of the overall product costs. Sebastien Kopp of Veja went deep into 'Raw Material Connections' and what sets the brand apart. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda Another driver is that Veja uses very few materials (maybe ten in total) but researches and utilises them very well. 'This limit is good for me, for creation, for design. You do not waste too much time saying 'what will be the next materials', no, you develop one over the course of two years, along the supply chain,' explained Kopp. 'We do not talk about circularity, we talk about cobblers. Opening places in the world to repair Veja shoes but also other sneakers. … What we want is a world with more reality, less talk,' he emphasised. Putting the loom back into heirlooms At the start of the first day, storyteller and emcee Nadir Nahdi brought the topic of heirloom pieces closer to the audience with a story about his grandmother who came from Indonesia to East Africa by boat. Tightlipped about her history, Nahdi grew up not knowing much about that side of his heritage but for a brightly coloured batik sarong. It was the connection, the missing link, that made him embark on the journey to his grandmother's village, Here, he met her childhood friend who was able to finally fill in the blanks. Another story told by a piece of clothing came from Lydie Taylor, a fashion design student and seventh generation at Taylors Run, an Australian sheep farm. Asked what she wore to the event, she revealed that her top was second hand and her skirt an inheritance from her grandmother who in turn had received the skirt from her grandmother. Moderator Ebru Özkücuuk Güler, Fashion for Good's Katrin Ley, fashion design student Lydie Taylor and Riyong Kim of the European Environment Agency (from left to right) discussed 'What is 'Next-Gen'?" Credits: Global Fashion Agenda We may have forgotten today that clothing used to last that long - in this case six generations - as it was truly precious and handmade, something that was treasured and handed down with pride. In times of ultra fast fashion pieces that are discarded almost as soon as they have been worn, the heritage aspect has become lost. 'What exactly are we doing and what is most important to us? It is no longer about volumes, it is about values. So through the process of making, of creating, what are the shared values between the making community and the corporations that own the companies and the end result, which is the garment,' said Omoyemi Akerele, founder and CEO of Lagos Fashion Week, in a panel that discussed life 'Beyond Fashion Categories'. For her, production volumes and overproduction are key problems. 'We cannot keep producing at this scale and expect to see change. We can't keep trying to solve the problem at the end of a garment, we have to think about solutions at the beginning. That is where we eliminate a lot of problems that we see today when it comes to garment production. I go back to my community and how we produce, rethinking design. And understanding that clothing is about creating purpose, creating meaning, ensuring that every garment is made with love, to last. Is made through a process that honours tradition and people.' This includes honouring the process and the people when taking craftsmanship from communities. ''Collaboration' is the new sexy word, but let's take it out and talk about co-ownership,' urges Akerele. Omoyemi Akerele, founder and CEO of Lagos Fashion Week. Credits: global Fashion Agenda Innovation Apart from GFS's Innovation Forum, innovations announcements popped up at the summit. In a sponsored session, the Lycra Company and chemical manufacturer Qore announced that they will soon bring to market the world's first large-scale commercial production of bio-derived Lycra fibre made with Qira, which uses dent corn as feedstock. Circular tech company Re&Up revealed at the event that it has become the first fibre producer globally to earn Cradle to Cradle Certified for Product Circularity, validating its recycled cotton and polyester as fully circular. Bio-design company Modern Meadow presented Innoveera, a high-performance, animal-free material made from plant proteins, biopolymers and recycled rubber. It is scalable and adaptable, and mimics the look and feel of leather and has a renewable carbon content of more than 80 percent. EBay revealed that it has built a suite of solutions to enable fashion brands to drive resale – from its brand outlet for excess inventory, to Imperfects for items that are slightly damaged but never-worn, to pre-loved take back solutions for brands, including its new partnership with Nobody's Child. Fashion for Good and Arvind Limited announced the launch of Future Forward Factories, an ambitious initiative with two interconnected components: developing a comprehensive open-source blueprint for sustainable textile manufacturing and constructing a groundbreaking physical facility in Gujarat, India that proves these innovations work at commercial scale. Eileen Fisher, the godmother of slow fashion, who launched her eponymous brand 40 years ago, cautioned that we have to keep on learning. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda Information Online fashion retailer Zalando presented a follow-up report from its 2021 publication 'It Takes Two' dedicated to the consumer or action gap - consumers wanting to buy sustainably but then not doing it. 'It Takes Many' looked at the European consumer in five markets (France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and UK ) and found out that while consumers care (74 percent want more sustainable products), there is still a gap disconnect between consumer behaviour and intentions. Price is still the main deterrent, also lack of knowledge in terms of identifying sustainable options and where to shop. Hence the consensus that it takes many - brands, the consumers themselves, governments, regulators and legislators - to close the gap. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) launched the Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) Sector Guidance for Fashion and Textile v2.0 to empower textile and fashion value-chain actors to unlock business value by embedding circular performance measurement into decision-making. One year after the launch of The Fashion ReModel at the Global Fashion Summit, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation released 'Scaling circular business models: a guide for fashion leaders', which aims to equip fashion leaders with the insights and tools to embed circular business models into core strategy, make a compelling business case and unlock financial and climate benefits. Networking at the Global Fashion Summit. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda Refiberd is winner of Trailblazer Programme For the second time, a winner of the Trailblazer Programme was announced by GFA and PDS Ventures, namely US-based AI-enabled textile material detector Refiberd. This year, the programme received over 200 applications from 44 countries across six continents - nearly double from last year. Nine innovators were selected by a cross-sector jury including representatives from Ralph Lauren, Fashion for Good, Zalando, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, GFA and PDS Ventures and featured at GFS's Innovation Forum. Refiberd, shortlisted under the 'Closed Loop Pathways' category, was selected for its pioneering technology using hyperspectral imaging and AI to accurately identify the material composition of textiles, thus unlocking critical advancements in textile recycling, resale authentication and traceability. As the Trailblazer winner, Refiberd will receive an investment of up to 200,000 US dollars from PDS Ventures, pending successful completion of financial and legal due diligence and final Investment Committee approval. The award also includes strategic commercial and operational support from PDS Group, including development and commercialisation assistance from its innovation-focused subsidiary, Positive Materials. 'The Refiberd team is thrilled to have been selected as the winner for the 2025 Trailblazer Programme. Having our technology be recognised by so many influential members of the fashion and textile industry is incredible validation for our team, and we are so grateful that the judges recognised the need for more accurate material data across the supply chain. This opportunity comes at a critical growth point for Refiberd, and we are thrilled to work towards scaling our technology with the support of the Trailblazer Programme, PDS Ventures and Global Fashion Agenda,' commented Refiberd co-founder and CEO Sarika Bajaj. A bit of protest An installation by Boas and Vnyx in Copenhagen. Credits: Vnyx On the final day of the Global Fashion Summit, Dutch vintage fashion site Boas and resale AI tool Vnyx quite literally aired the industry's dirty laundry by stringing clotheslines filled with discarded garments across the city—from bridges to the Little Mermaid. Each piece carried a message like 'Wear me', 'Repair me' or 'Donate me,' thus calling attention to the billions of garments dumped or burned each year. The campaign aimed to urge passersby to pause, reflect and act immediately on their consumption habits. 'You can touch these clothes, take them, smell them—and realise that every second, a truckload of fashion is dumped or burned. But the solutions are simple, and they are already printed on the clothing: wear, repair, sell, share and donate,' explained Boas co-founder Romy Goedhart. The way forward Looking at the fact that Copenhagen is one of the most expensive European cities, where one night in a hotel costs as much as a garment worker owns in a whole months as one panelist remarked, is it still timely to have the Global Fashion Summit here, far from the Global South, where much of the issues that need to be tackled are to be found? Why not have the next edition in Bangladesh, India or Vietnam? After all, it is the Global Fashion Summit, not the European Fashion Summit. This is also what Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), mentioned. 'Workers voices are needed but they are always the missing puzzle, the discussion is not worker-centric.' Take the Omnibus proposal, for example, introduced by EC president Ursula von der Leyen earlier this year and framed as a simplification of key EU laws. 'There was hope,' said Akter, in view of sustainability laws like the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), 'all the good things were coming for workers but the Omnibus bill is ruining the show in the name of simplifying.' 'Either have a good agreement or no agreement,' she adds. 'This toothless directive protecting rather the companies than the workers will not work.' Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda Akerele, who is also the founder and CEO of Style House Files, echoes this sentiment. 'So 2023 might look great but for me, it looks really daunting if we continue at this speed. I think it is important that we were able to get decision makers in the room, which includes the people who make the clothes, not only the big guys and women in suits.' 'So if we are looking at 2023, we have to rethink production volumes, we have to rethink consumption patterns. …I must acknowledge that there are signs of progress; it is not all gloom and doom but it is important for us to be mindful that if things continue the way they do, a seemingly tokenistic approach to problem solving, 2030 will not be very great,' cautions Akerele. Or as Marchionni put it , 'sustainability is a marathon, not a sprint. It is a long journey of winding roads and difficult terrain. If there is an obstacle, you do not just turn around but face it.' And that is good to keep in mind indeed while tackling the future. Also read: How does the fashion industry justify 15 years of Global Fashion Summit?
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges: Global Fashion Leaders Descend on Copenhagen to Unveil New Sustainability Insights and Initiatives
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- From 3-5 June, Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2025 convened over 1000 influential leaders from brands, retailers, NGOs, policymakers, manufacturers, innovators, and adjacent industries to advance collective action on fashion's sustainability challenges and opportunities. Presented by Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), the non-profit accelerating the transition to a net positive fashion industry, the forum was held at the iconic Copenhagen Concert Hall, with side events hosted at prestigious cultural venues around the city. Building on 16 years of industry leadership, this year's Summit explored the theme 'Barriers and Bridges', shining a spotlight on the current obstacles holding the industry back and the collaborative solutions to mobilise action. The content addressed five key forces shaping fashion's future: Innovation, Capital, Courage, Incentives and Regulation. View the full programme here. Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark, a long-standing patron of GFA, attended the opening sessions and visited the Innovation Forum. Attendees were inspired by over 100 speakers, including representatives from Kering, RE&UP, eBay, VEJA, the European Commission, GANNI, The Lycra Company, Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity, H&M Group, ExpectAI, Visa Europe, UN Environment Programme, Zalando, United Repair Centre, Target, and Artistic Milliners. See the full speaker list here. Prominent brands and organisations unveiled new insights and initiatives at the event. Highlights include: Global Fashion Agenda, in collaboration with PDS Ventures, revealed the winner of the 2025 Trailblazer Programme, spotlighting an early-stage innovation with the potential to transform the fashion and textile industry. The winning company, Refiberd, will receive significant equity investment along with commercial and operational support to scale its solution. Read more. RE&UP revealed that it has become the first fibre producer globally to earn Cradle to Cradle Certified® for Product Circularity, validating its recycled cotton and polyester as fully circular. This industry-first milestone affirms RE&UP's leadership in scalable, credible fibre-to-fibre recycling, setting a new benchmark for circularity in fashion at industrial scale. Read more. The LYCRA Company in collaboration with Qore® will soon bring to market the world's first large-scale commercial production of bio-derived LYCRA® fibre made with QIRA®. By using dent corn as the feedstock, The LYCRA Company will replace a finite resource traditionally used to make LYCRA® fibre. Read more. Launched on 3 June, 'It takes many' is Zalando's second consumer sustainability behaviour report, exploring the persistent gap between consumer intentions and actions in fashion. Based on surveys and expert interviews, the report highlights key barriers and calls for collective, system-wide action from brands, policymakers, platforms, and consumers to enable more sustainable choices. Read more. Bio-design company Modern Meadow revealed INNOVERA™, a high-performance, animal-free material made from plant proteins, biopolymers and recycled rubber. With more than 80% renewable carbon content, it mimics leather's look and feel while reducing environmental impact. Ideal for fashion, automotive and more, INNOVERA™ is scalable and adaptable, blending innovation with tradition. Read more. With almost three decades of experience championing recommerce and the circular economy, eBay has built a suite of solutions to enable fashion brands to drive resale – from its brand outlet for excess inventory, to Imperfects for items that are slightly damaged but never-worn, to pre-loved take back solutions for brands, including its new partnership with Nobody's Child. WBCSD launched the Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) Sector Guidance for Fashion and Textile v2.0 to empower textile and fashion value-chain actors to unlock business value by embedding circular performance measurement into decision-making. It helps companies translate ambition into action, prepare for regulatory compliance and demonstrate tangible progress to investors and stakeholders. Read more. Fashion for Good and Arvind Limited announced the launch of Future Forward Factories, an ambitious initiative with two interconnected components: developing a comprehensive open-source blueprint for sustainable textile manufacturing and constructing a groundbreaking physical facility in Gujarat, India that proves these innovations work at commercial scale. Read more. One year on from the launch of The Fashion ReModel at Global Fashion Summit, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation released 'Scaling circular business models: a guide for fashion leaders', which equips fashion leaders with the insights and tools to embed circular business models into core strategy, make a compelling business case, and unlock financial and climate benefits. Read more. With even more focus on innovation this year, the Innovation Forum returned with a dynamic showcase of 30 solution providers spanning the value chain, from next-generation materials to cutting-edge end-of-use technologies. Through guided tours and a tailored Matchmaking programme, more than 400 introductions were facilitated between relevant stakeholders and innovators. The Summit also hosted 18 exclusive Leadership Roundtables, fostering frank, solution-focused dialogue among top decision-makers across public and private sectors. Highlights included 'Driving Decarbonisation: Corporate Financial Engagement', 'A People-Centric Transition', 'Climate Adaptation in Luxury Value Chains' and 'Local Solutions to a Global Problem', generating actionable insights and new collaborative pathways. During the opening of the Summit, Federica Marchionni, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda, urged: "The only certainty in this uncertain world is climate change. Leadership is needed most in times of adversity. Now is the time for leadership to step up, assert your vision and courageously drive action on sustainability. Now is the moment to support tenacious leadership that breaks barriers and shows what's possible - remembering that true transformation comes from collaboration and collective courage." For more information about the Summit visit Learn more about Global Fashion Agenda at CONTACT: For more information contact press@ This information was brought to you by Cision The following files are available for download: The-Concert-Hall Day-1 Welcome-to-Global-Fashion-Summit GFS-CPH-2025 004 O8A9889-scaled View original content: SOURCE Global Fashion Agenda Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Son Heung-min's father, brother suspended from coaching for child abuse
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min training in Bilbao ahead of the Europa League final against Manchester United on May 21. PHOTO: EPA-EFE SEOUL – The father and brother of Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min have been suspended from coaching by sports authorities of Gangwon Province, after the pair and another coach from the father's youth academy were convicted for child abuse by a local court. The Gangwon Football Association (GFA) recently confirmed a three-month suspension on Son Woong-jung, the father of the Tottenham star and director of SON Football Academy, and a fellow coach of the institution. This was based on the investigation by the government-affiliated Korea Sport Ethics Center (KSEC). Son Heung-yun, the older brother of Son Heung-min and a coach at his father's academy, was subject to a longer, six-month suspension. The aforementioned punishments are the lowest level of disciplinary actions for those found guilty of violence by coaches, according to regulations of the KSEC. The GFA's committee ruled that the verbal abuse by Son Woong-jung and physical abuse by the other two occurred without premeditation. Both parties have requested a reconsideration of the punishment, with the lawyer of the abused youth athlete saying that the abuse took place repeatedly and cannot be considered as actions made on the spur of the moment. The three officials of the SON Football Academy were each slapped 3 million won (S$2,790) fine by the Chuncheon District Court in November, over violating the clause about child abuse in the Child Welfare Act. The victimized youth athlete told police that he was subject to frequent verbal abuse by the elder Son but said physical abuse was inflicted by his coaches. This included the younger Son hitting the child with a baton during a training camp in March of 2024, which supposedly left an injury requiring two weeks of medical treatment. Son Woong-jung issued a public apology for the child victim and his family, but said that some of their claims were not true. He admitted to coaching the children in a way that was 'not corresponding to the standards set by the changing trend and the law'. Father Son, a former player himself, was famous for the harsh upbringing he gave his now-world famous son. In a 2020 interview, he said he 'beat up Heung-min a lot' and admitted in his book that his training methods were harsh. It was said that one of the neighbours even reported the elder Son for child abuse for what he did during the training of his son. Son Heung-min himself has not accused his father of abuse, expressing respect for him and his training methods. In separate news, Tottenham will play in South Korea as part of their pre-season plans, the club said on May 19, having already committed to a friendly against rivals Arsenal in Hong Kong. It will be Spurs' fifth trip to South Korea and they will play in the 2025 Coupang Play Series. The club said it will release fixure information 'in due course'. Ange Postecoglou's side play Arsenal on July 31 in Hong Kong in the first north London derby to be contested outside the United Kingdom. The game at the new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak stadium has sold out. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Benfica officials arrive in Goa, govt keen to appoint technical director from Portuguese club
SL Benfica club officials met chief minister Pramod Sawant and sports minister Govind Gaude on Tuesday. GFA president Caitano Fernandes was also present Panaji: The state govt has started discussions with SL Benfica about a collaboration and the Portuguese football giants, for a start, are likely to depute one of its own as the technical declaring football as the state sport in 2012, the state govt launched the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) and tasked it with development of the sport at the grassroots and youth level. The council has an annual budget of Rs 6 crore, but for the last five years, there is no technical director in place. Since Arjuna Award winner Brahmanand Shankhwalkar's term ended in August 2023, the council also functions without a chairperson and the GFDC Football Summit in Oct last year, the need to appoint a technical director was listed on top of the priority list.'The govt will appoint a technical director from Benfica, not just for GFDC but the entire state,' a senior official told TOI on Tuesday. 'Whether it's the Goa Football Association (GFA) or professional clubs, the TD will be on hand to advice everyone.'The appointment of a technical director was made by Arvind Khutkar, director, directorate of sports and youth affairs (DSYA) during a meeting between Benfica officials and stakeholders in Bambolim on officials Miguel Reis (global expansion coordinator), Davide Gomes (international technical manager) and Lourenço Ferreira (global expansion developer) are in Goa on an official visit. They saw the sports infrastructure available in Goa, presented their views before stakeholders, and met chief minister Pramod Sawant and sports minister Govind Gaude later in the Football Association (GFA) president Caitano Fernandes, Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) executive director Geeta Nagvekar and Arjuna Award winner Bruno Coutinho were also in attendance at the meeting.'The appointment of a foreign technical director is welcome news but for the development of Goan football, that alone will not be enough,' said another official. 'Goa needs more investments at the grassroots level, besides support for clubs and association.'The arrival of Benfica officials here follows an invitation from the state delegation which visited the campus of the two-time European champions earlier this are among the leading clubs in Europe and run the world's most profitable football academy. Some of the club's big-money exports include Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias (both Manchester City), Joao Cancelo (Al Hilal), Joao Neves, Renato Sanches, Goncalo Ramos (all PSG), Joao Felix (AC Milan) and Nelson Semedo (Wolverhampton Wanderers).Benfica has a connection with Goa, having been the last foreign team to visit the state for friendlies, before Liberation in December 1961. In the summer of 1960, Benfica landed here with a promising football team that won all three friendlies that they played against Military Selection (2-1), Goa (4-0) and Goa Selection (1-0).
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
GFA questions AIFF awards selection, says disheartening when commendable work is overlooked
GFA said it organised more than 1400 matches this season, which translates to 3.88 matches per day. The Goa Professional League concluded last week Panaji: Goa has told the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that the lack of recognition at last week's AIFF Awards has caused concern among its Goa Football Association (GFA) did not receive any recognition at the annual ceremony in Bhubaneswar, prompting its president Caitano Fernandes to complain to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey about the 'skewed and unjustified manner' in which the AIFF Awards were selected.'It is disheartening when the contributions of those who are doing commendable work appear to be overlooked,' Caitano wrote to Chaubey in a letter on Tuesday. 'In this regard, I must express my disappointment at the GFA not receiving any recognition at the AIFF Awards 2025 .'At last year's awards, Goa and Odisha were declared joint winners of the 'Best MA for hosting most AIFF competitions' award. This year Goa missed out, with West Bengal, Manipur, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Kerala and Punjab all winning awards, some of them more than GFA has questioning the criteria used to determine the winners and requested detailed information regarding the criteria used for these awards and the composition of the committee that was entrusted with the selection process.'Understanding the basis upon which these award categories are decided is crucial for us to appreciate the recognition bestowed and to identify areas where we, as member associations, can strive for excellence,' said GFA argued its case with said Goa, with approximately 6,800 players registered on AIFF's centralised registration system (CRS) out of a population of 15 lakh (roughly 1% of the state's population) was overlooked for the winning members association (Maharashtra), whose registrations amount to 0.04% of its population (5 lakh out of a population of 127 million).'We feel that this is a very skewed method of identifying the winner in this category, because the smaller states will always fall behind even though technically football is more popular amongst the population,' said to GFA, Goa staged more than 1400 matches this season, which translates to 3.88 matches per day.'We are probably the only state that organises l6 leagues and have a well-structured youth competition, for both boys and girls, which was even commended by the League committee. GFA has also registered all of its leagues on CMS, probably the only state to do so. The association organises Third Division, Second Division, First Division and the Goa Professional League in the senior men's category and U-l3, U-l5, U-l7, U-l9 and U-2l in the boys category.'In the women's seniors, we organise the Women's League while also organising U-l3, U-l5 and U-17 girls Leagues. This is in addition to the Khelo India leagues and other privately organised tournaments. We also organise the men's futsal league,' said GFA said, for a state with an area of only 3,702 square kms and 15 lakh population, this is a huge number that cannot be ignored. 'Goa also has a well-structured calendar and club structure with approximately 200 clubs registered which is one club every 18.75 square kilometres,' it was pointed out.
