The mess that is Indian football under Kalyan Chaubey’s stewardship just keeps on getting worse. It should come as no surprise that FIFA has got into the act now, threatening to ban the All India Football Federation for failing to implement a new constitution.
In a strongly-worded letter to the AIFF, FIFA has also reminded the national governing body and its president, Chaubey, that it is obligated to manage its affairs independently and without interference from any third-party or government body.
For the record, FIFA suspended the AIFF in 2022 after the Supreme Court handed the control of the federation to a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) following the ouster of former president Praful Patel. The beleaguered body faces a similar threat once again amid the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) crisis.
In a letter signed jointly by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, the AIFF has been set a deadline of 30 October to secure a final verdict from the Supreme Court on the revised constitution, which should align with the mandatory provisions of the FIFA and AFC Statutes and regulations. AIFF is also required to ratify the constitution at the next AIFF general body meeting The Times of India reports.
“Failure to meet this schedule will leave us with no alternative but to refer the matter to the relevant FIFA decision-making body for consideration and decision,” the FIFA letter, accessed by the daily, reads.
The letter makes clear that failure to get the constitution finalised by the 30 October deadline and AIFF’s failure to manage its affairs independently or align with FIFA’s provisions “may result in sanctions outlined in the FIFA and AFC Statutes, including the possibility of suspension”.
In the letter, FIFA has conveyed to the AIFF that the communication is binding, and to safeguard its rights as a member of FIFA and AFC, the federation must immediately comply with its orders.
“AIFF must regard this communication as binding and requiring immediate compliance in order to safeguard its rights as a member of FIFA and AFC,” the letter states.
