Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Aug 16: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) was suspended by FIFA on August 15 as a result of improper interference from third parties, which FIFA describes as a “severe violation of the FIFA Statutes.”
“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,” the FIFA said in a statement.
“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once an order to set up a committee of administrators to assume the powers of the AIFF Executive Committee has been repealed and the AIFF administration regains full control of the AIFF’s daily affairs,” the statement added.
“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 further reads.
After former director Praful Patel served beyond the term limit, the AIFF encountered issues, and the Supreme Court of India declared it illegal. The SC had appointed a Committee of Administrators (CoA) in May 2022 to oversee the AIFF.
The decision to suspend the AIFF was made at the same time that the Supreme Court of India ordered that the election of the executive committee of the country’s football governing body take place quickly after hearing a petition filed by the Committee of Administrators earlier this month alleging interference from Praful Patel, the former president of the AIFF, and others.
India’s hopes of hosting the U17 Women’s World Cup in October have also been severely harmed by FIFA’s suspension of AIFF. In a statement, FIFA claimed that India ‘cannot’ now host the competition but added that it is actively pursuing a favourable resolution with the Sports Ministry.
The U17 Women’s World Cup was scheduled to be held in India from October 11 to October 30. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the competition until 2021. In addition to the potential loss of the privilege to host the aforementioned competition, India’s national teams won’t be able to compete in international competitions until the suspension is lifted. Also, the domestic league matches will not have the recognition of AFC or FIFA while Indian sides will not be able to participate in AFC competitions until the suspension is lifted.
