The All India Football Federation (AIFF) will be suspended immediately, according to a decision made by FIFA on Tuesday.
The All India Football Federation, the nation’s highest administrative organization, was suspended by the sport’s governing body FIFA on Tuesday. The FIFA Council Bureau unanimously decided on the matter. The decision was made as a result of third-party intervention which is a significant breach of the FIFA Statutes.
A FIFA member association failing to maintain independence or losing control of its organization is referred to as third-party intervention.
“The Bureau of the FIFA Council has unanimously decided to suspend the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes,” stated an official media release, issued by FIFA.
The organization further stated that the suspension would be removed whenever an order to form a committee of administrators to assume the responsibilities of the AIFF Executive Committee is annulled. The other condition is that the AIFF administration regains full control of its daily operations.
FIFA stated that it was in contact with India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. This offered a ray of optimism that the ban would be lifted quickly if certain requirements were satisfied.
The Bureau also stripped the nation of the rights to host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022. It was slated to take place from October 11 to October 30.
The reason behind the AIFF suspension
The present set of problems for Indian football began with the former AIFF president, Praful Patel, who was also a FIFA council member. He refused to surrender his position as the country’s head of football. Patel was asked to surrender his position on May 18. AIFF was suspended by FIFA.
The reason behind this was failing to organize elections that were scheduled for December 2020. His justification for not leaving the stage was a protracted epidemic, along with a judicial battle involving the AIFF constitution.
But on May 18, the Supreme Court took action and dismissed Patel. A Committee of Administrators (COA) was also chosen by the SC to oversee the AIFF. The tense relationship with FIFA that finally resulted in the ban started with the establishment of this COA.
Former Supreme Court judge AR Dave presided over the three-person Committee of Administrators (CoA). The committee was charged with running the national federation’s activities. The CoA also includes former India captain Bhaskar Ganguly and Chief Commissioner of India SY Quraishi. It has to draft its constitution in accordance with model rules and the National Sports Code.
The FIFA has never permitted government or judicial intervention in the internal affairs of any of its member associations. In circumstances comparable to India, it has established normalization committees in a number of nations.
According to FIFA regulations, the SC’s order for the COA to manage the AIFF was a classic example of third-party meddling in this situation.
Prohibitions after FIFA ban
First and foremost, the ban entails a suspension of all international football for all national teams and age divisions. It also applies to all club teams in India and to both men’s and women’s football.
Additionally, the ban affects any foreign transfers and any courses or professional development programs that AIFF officials would have been enrolled in. This effectively means that no football-related events can be held outside of India. However, local transactions and the national league can both go on.
The outcome of the AIFF polls, which are scheduled to take place on August 28 per the Supreme Court’s directives, remains unknown following the prohibition. AIFF was suspended by FIFA. On August 13, the Supreme court accepted the timeline created by the Committee of Administrators, and the election process officially began.
The CoA has already chosen to return officers and released the electoral college, which includes 36 illustrious players. Nominations may be submitted starting on Wednesday and continuing through Friday.
Most importantly, the FIFA under-17 women’s world cup is in danger. But India’s football community is hopeful that a last-minute fix may save it when the Supreme Court hears the case on Wednesday.
The sports ministry had petitioned the Supreme Court for a change to the ruling it had issued on August 5.. It asks to allow 36 illustrious players to cast ballots in the AIFF elections on the basis that the international organization did not support “individual membership” in the AIFF.
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