World football governing body FIFA on Tuesday suspended All India Football Federation (AIFF) for “undue influence from third parties” and “flagrant violations of the FIFA Statutes”.
With this suspension, the U-17 Women’s World Cup cannot be held in India as planned from October 11-30.
This is the first time the FIFA has banned AIFF in its 85 years history. A ban on India has been on the cards since the Supreme Court removed Praful Patel as AIFF president on May 18 for not holding elections, due in December 2020.
Alarmed by the development, the Centre on Tuesday sought urgent hearing in the Supreme Court on the matter.
“The Bureau of the FIFA Council has unanimously decided to suspend the All India Football Federation with immediate effect due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes,” the FIFA said in a statement.
The Bureau of the FIFA Council said the lifting of the suspension will be subject to repealing of the Committee of Administrators’ (CoA) mandate in full.
In a statement, the FIFA also said it wants the AIFF administration to “be fully in charge of the AIFF’s daily affairs”.
“The suspension will be lifted once an order to set up a committee of administrators to assume the powers of the AIFF Executive Committee has been repealed and the AIFF administration regains full control of the AIFF’s daily affairs.”
“The suspension means that the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 scheduled to take place in India on 11-30 October 2022, cannot currently be held in India as planned. FIFA is assessing the next steps with regard to the tournament and will refer the matter to the Bureau of the Council if and when necessary,” it said.
The court had appointed a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), headed by former apex court judge AR Dave, to manage the affairs of the national federation.
The CoA, which has former Chief Commissioner of India SY Quraishi and former India captain Bhaskar Ganguly as other members, also had to frame its constitution in line with the National Sports Code and model guidelines.
The Bureau of the FIFA Council decided that upon lifting of the suspension, the AIFF constitution will have to be revised in accordance with the requirements of the FIFA and the AFC and to be approved by the AIFF general assembly without interference from any third party.
The FIFA, “concurrently”, wants an “independent electoral committee to be elected by the AIFF general assembly to run the elections of a new executive committee”.
It also said the AIFF must “carry out the upcoming electoral process as per the statutory requirements and to hold its elections based on the pre-existing membership of the AIFF (i.e State associations only).
In the Supreme court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta bench told a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna that “important development” has taken place and FIFA has sent a letter suspending India which is in public domain and needs to be brought on record. The bench told Mehta that the matter is listed for Wednesday and it would try to take it up as a first matter.
Mehta said FIFA was in Geneva and it has taken certain decisions which are important developments for the country and need to be brought before the court. “I request that the AIFF matter pending before the court be urgently heard”, he said.