AIFF: Future tense as 2nd FIFA ban in 3 years looms large

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is a body which, apparently, simply refuses to learn from its mistakes.

For the second time in three years, it is in line to face suspension from two governing bodies — FIFA and the Asian Football Federation — if it fails to get its constitution ratified and hold fresh elections for office-bearers by 30 October.

“Failure to adhere to this obligation may result in sanctions outlined by the FIFA/AFC statutes, including possibility of suspension,” said a letter bomb on 27 August, Wednesday.

The timing of FIFA’s tirade is also significant, as the AIFF and its marketing agent FSDL (Football Spcialities Development Ltd) are expected to meet today to work out at least a short-term solution to solve the tangle over their Master Rights Issue and get the Indian Super League (ISL) up and running.

This is as last-minute as it gets, with the Supreme Court scheduled to convene on 28 August for its hearing on the AIFF impasse.

The uncertainty over the ISL, which has wreaked havoc on the country’s football ecosystem — with 13 participating clubs moving the apex court for an end to the stalemate — has been the biggest blow to the AIFF’s already fragile reputation in more than a year now.

Last week, the apex court had ordered the warring AIFF and the Reliance Group-owned FSDL to resolve their differences.

Now, the FIFA letter leaked to the national media has further tarred the reputation of the current dispensation under Kalyan Chaubey.

Meanwhile, well-placed sources in the AIFF reveal that this is not the first ‘warning’ from the world and Asian governing bodies; apparently, the executive committee have brushed earlier expressions of concern under the carpet in the past.

In a letter to M. Satya Narayan, the deputy general secretary of the AIFF, on 22 June 2024, FIFA set the AIFF a deadline of 5 July 2024 to provide ‘relevant information and documents’ regarding the amended constitution drafted by former justice L. Nageswara Rao.

FIFA has always resented third-party interference, as well — which saw it slapping a ban on the AIFF in 2022, when the court-appointed committee of administrators (CoA) was running it. This paved the way for an election, which saw the BJP-backed Chaubey sweep the presidential polls to usher in promise of a new future.

Three years down the line, things are again back to square one again, with another possible ban threatening the national teams and its clubs’ participation in any international tournaments.

“FIFA had sent at least two letters before to implement the amended constitution at the earliest, but the AIFF top brass did not bother to produce them in court and just bid for more time. Now, it has come back to haunt them,” the sources said.

The current letter to the AIFF has both FIFA and AFC expressing ‘profound concern’ over the federation's failure to finalise and implement its revised constitution, a process that has been under consideration since proceedings started before the Supreme Court in 2017. The letter has warned that the absence of a compliant governance framework had created ‘an untenable vacuum and legal uncertainties at the heart of Indian football’.

The communication, signed by FIFA’s chief member associations officer Elkhan Mammadov and AFC deputy general secretary Vahid Kardany, directs the AIFF to secure a definitive Supreme Court order approving the revised constitution, ensure full alignment with FIFA and AFC statutes, and obtain ratification from its general body.

The letter also underlines the growing impatience of the global and continental bodies, noting that despite repeated assurances, the AIFF has failed to act decisively. It points out that the prolonged impasse has already precipitated a governance and operational crisis, with uncertainty surrounding the domestic calendar and with commercial partnerships beyond 2025 yet to be finalised.

FIFA statutes make it mandatory for member associations to operate independently, without third-party influence, including from government and judicial bodies. The letter reminds the AIFF of its obligation to comply, warning that sanctions under FIFA and AFC statutes could include suspension.

“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 strongly worded letter concludes.