NEW DELHI: Following growing demands of holding elections by its state members, the All India Football Federation has formed a three-member committee to hold discussion with its legal team and help expedite the process of conducting its elections.
AIFF vice-president Subrata Dutta, Jessiah Villavarayar of the Tamil Nadu state body and NA Haris, the Karnataka association chief who had first raised the issue at the February 5 annual general body meeting in Mumbai, constitute the committee.
The panel will be coordinating with the AIFF’s legal advisors as the matter is sub-judice.
The committee is expected to submit its findings in a month’s time. “The committee is requested to hold discussions with the legal advisors of the AIFF. Please note that the mandate of this committee shall be 30 days as decided by the President in the AGM,” reads the letter accessed by Times of India.
The decision to form the panel was taken during the federation’s Annual General Meeting after some states wanted to know why the AIFF has not been holding elections which were due in December 2020.
The matter is pending before the Supreme Court.
In its AGM held in December 2020, the AIFF’s general house had approved the extension of the term of the executive committee till the Supreme Court decided on a pending case related to the framing of a new constitution and election process.
The four-year term of the current executive committee had ended in December 2020 and under normal circumstances, the elections would have been held.
Praful Patel, who has been AIFF president since 2012, is ineligible to contest as per the Sports Code. Patel had also said he will not contest elections as and when they are held.
TOI reports that for Patel, who has already served three four-year terms, a fourth term would make him eligible to contest a spot in the FIFA’s Council, elections to which are due in April 2023. Patel is also senior vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation.
