Mizoram Football Association's (MFA) General Secretary Lalnghinglova Hmar has written a letter to Kiren Rijiju, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, enquiring about the criteria for the Arjuna Award recipients after India international Jeje Lalpekhlua was disregarded for the third time.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had nominated Jeje for the first time in 2017, along with Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Bembem Devi. That year, Bembem Devi was chosen by the Sports Ministry for the prestigious award.
In 2019, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu trumped his national teammate for the gong whereas in 2020, Sandesh Jhingan pipped Bala Devi and him to the award.