India Football: Suresh Wangjam calls for increased safety of women players in the country

India international, Suresh Singh Wangjam has opened up on the recent "sexual misconduct" episode that has rocked Indian football, claiming the incident "very disturbing" and that the guilty should be punished "harshly".

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday sacked Indian women's Under-17 assistant coach, Alex Ambrose for sexual misconductjust two days after he was recalled from a camp in Europe citing 'misconduct'.

The India and Bengaluru FC star for his part believes that the women’s game is on the rise in the country and everyone should join hands to encourage it.

“The incident of sexual misconduct surrounding the Girls U17 team is very disturbing. I hope that a thorough investigation is carried out and the guilty are punished harshly. Women’s football has been on the rise, and we have to do everything to encourage it,” he wrote on Twitter.

“How will parents allow their daughters to pursue football professionally when there is no system for their safety? We should do more,” Suresh added.

The incident does not seem to be the end of troubles for Ambrose who was working with the junior team since 2019, with reports emerging that he was asked to appear before the AIFF's internal complaints committee and that the 39-year-old is likely to face police action for his conduct.