Indian Football FIFA Banned, situation ‘worse’ due to Praful Patel’s insistence

Indian football is in trouble. FIFA has banned the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Although the script for this ban started in December 2020, when Praful Patel ended his third term,  The AIFF president did not quit when Patel had refused to hold elections in the Supreme Court till the issue of the new constitution was resolved, taking recourse to a case pending in the Supreme Court since 2017.

The maximum tenure is 12 years.

It is noteworthy that according to the Sports Code, a person can hold office in any National Sports Federation for a maximum period of 12 years and Prafullapatel had completed that period.  After this the matter went to the Supreme Court and intervention was sought.  Now FIFA has suspended AIFF in view of third party interference in the matter.  Let us know how the whole matter escalated due to which FIFA finally decided to ban AIFF.

May 18 – Supreme Court’s decision compels AIFF chief Praful Patel and his executive committee to step down. Also court orders ex-judge AR Dave, former chief election commissioner SY Qureshi and former Indian football team captain Bhaskar Ganguly  A three-member Committee of Administrators (COA) was appointed under the chairmanship.

May 23 – Praful Patel requests FIFA chief Gianni Infantino not to impose sanctions on the country after the AIFF’s governance is handed over to the Committee of Administrators.

May 29- CoA member SY Qureshi said that the AIFF should have a newly-elected body by the end of September and a revised constitution would be presented before the Supreme Court by July 15.

June 11 – Members of the CoA and some affiliated units attend a meeting to discuss holding the long-pending AIFF elections at the earliest under a new constitution that complies with the National Sports Code, FIFA and AFC laws.

June 21 – The first round of talks between the FIFA-AFC team and the CoA, which governs Indian football, took place in a very positive atmosphere.

June 22 – The AIFF Member Unit met the FIFA-AFC team and informed them about the Supreme Court’s intervention in the national sports body.

June 23 – FIFA-AFC team sets deadline for system reform. Also asks stakeholders to ratify constitution by 31 July and hold elections by 15 September.

July 13 – COA sends final draft constitution of AIFF to FIFA.

July 16 – CoA submits AIFF draft constitution to the Supreme Court for approval.

July 18 – State units of AIFF express displeasure over several provisions in the final draft constitution prepared by the CoA, but said they are ready to find a middle ground.  A seven-member panel representing state associations wrote to FIFA that several sections of the final draft were discriminatory.

July 21 – Supreme Court upholds the need to expedite AIFF elections.

July 26 – FIFA recommends to AIFF that instead of the 50 per cent prescribed by the COA in the draft constitution, the AIFF should have 25 per cent representation of eminent players in its executive committee.

July 28 – Supreme Court bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Surya Kant said it will hear on modalities of holding elections on August 3.

August 3 – Supreme Court directs the AIFF Executive Committee to conduct the elections at the earliest as per the schedule proposed by the CoA.  The court said that the electoral college for the AIFF’s executive committee will consist of representatives from 36 state associations and 36 eminent football players.

August 5 – Supreme Court approves the deadline for the COA for the AIFF elections, the elections will be held on August 28 and the election process will start from August 13.

August 6 – FIFA threatens to suspend the AIFF due to third party influence and take away the hosting rights of the Women’s Under-17 World Cup in October.

August 7 – The COA assures FIFA that it is ready to organize the All India Football Federation.

August 10 – CoA files contempt petition against Praful Patel for ‘interfering in the proceedings’ of the Supreme Court.

August 11 – Supreme Court warns state units for participating in Praful Patel’s meetings and interfering in the administration of justice.

August 13- 36 players including Bhaichung Bhutia and IM Vijayan were included in the electoral roll for the AIFF elections to be held on August 28.

August 15 – FIFA informs the Sports Ministry that it stands firm on its opposition to the inclusion of individual members in the electoral college for All India Football Federation (AIFF) elections.

August 16 – FIFA suspends AIFF due to third party interference and also takes away India’s right to host the U-17 Women’s World Cup.