A Delhi court has issued an arrest warrant against Alex Ambrose, the former assistant coach of the Indian Under-17 women's football team, who was sacked for sexual misconduct last July.
The warrant was issued on Friday under Section 70 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, according to the court website. It said the accused had been summoned by the court (Sec 16) and was given a notice for breach of bond (Sec 446).
Criminal proceedings against Ambrose were said to have begun last July, when he was named as an accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The Dwarka Police Station had confirmed to ESPN at the time that a case had been filed there. Ambrose had denied any wrongdoing and sent a legal notice to the All India Football Federation for "tarnishing his reputation by levelling frivolous charges". There have been no updates on the matter since from the AIFF.
The incident first came to light during the U-17 side's exposure trip to Norway, where Ambrose was allegedly caught in an inappropriate situation with a member of the side. He was recalled immediately to India.
"An event of misconduct has been reported in the U-17 women's team, currently on an exposure tour to Europe. The AIFF follows a zero-tolerance policy on indiscipline. As an initial action, the Federation has provisionally suspended the individual pending further investigation," read the statement from the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) overseeing the AIFF at the time.
"The AIFF has asked the concerned individual to stop all contact with the team, return to India immediately, and be physically present for further investigations upon his arrival."
However there had been no further update on the case from the federation. The AIFF was banned by FIFA in August, had subsequent elections and a whole new administration was in place before India hosted the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup in October.