Explained: Why Did FIFA Suspend AIFF and What Lies Ahead for Indian Football?

All you need to know about AIFF's suspension by FIFA and what it means for the Indian football.

FIFA has suspended AIFF for third-party influence.

(Photo: AP)

The men’s national team had qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the women’s U-17 team was preparing to rub shoulders against some of the world’s most talented youngsters in the upcoming 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, and domestic clubs like Gokulam Kerala Women’s and ATK Mohun Bagan were gearing up for the upcoming continental challenges.

Overall, everything was running smoothly in Indian football, until it wasn’t anymore. On 16 August, the Indian football enthusiasts woke up to the devastating news of FIFA suspending the All India Football Federation (AIFF) indefinitely, sending the nation's football contingent down an abyss of uncertainty.

Albeit hopes of a revival are not dead, it is important to know how Indian football, through a long-drawn saga of unimplemented rules and preposterous execution of plans, arrived at this stage.

1. Why Has FIFA Suspended AIFF?

According to their official statement, FIFA has suspended AIFF owing to “undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes.”

In simpler terms, FIFA views the involvement of the court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), which is currently presiding over AIFF's operations, as ‘third party influence.' This is not a rare occurrence in international football and a plethora of prior examples are available, given that the apex football governing body has always clamped down on external influences over a nation’s football activities. Previously, the federations of Nigeria, Pakistan, Trinidad & Tobago, Zimbabwe, and Kenya faced similar suspensions.

Understandably, for those who followed the developments closely, this suspension seemed to be imminent. The more pertinent question, however, will be – why did the Supreme Court appoint a CoA in the first place?

In December 2020, the erstwhile AIFF president – Praful Patel – completed his twelve-year tenure in the organisation, which is the maximum term permitted to a National Sports Federation (NSF) chairman by the country’s Sports Code.

The next president was supposed to be decided by election, but only a month before the proposed date, the organisation moved court with an application seeking clarity on certain statutes in the constitution of AIFF. Subsequently, the election was put on hold.

After a year and a half of inactivity, the apex court intervened on 18 May of this year to strip Patel and his executive committee of their administrative responsibilities, appointing a three-member CoA to overlook the football activities – comprising former judge AR Dave, former Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi and former Indian men’s football team skipper, Bhaskar Ganguly. The primary objective of the CoA was to assist the court in facilitating the adoption of a new constitution for AIFF.

2. What Is the Problem With the Constitution Framed by CoA?

The appointment of CoA in itself is not something FIFA encouraged, but they were notified about the developments and the ban is not instantaneous. Representatives of FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) visited India in June to chalk out a roadmap for Indian football, giving CoA a deadline of 31 July to frame the new constitution.

The CoA sent the final draft of the constitution to Supreme Court on July 16, but the composition of electoral college proved to be a major roadblock in forming the constitution. According to CoA’s draft, AIFF’s electoral college will have equal representation from state associations and former footballers – 36 each.

This draft sparked a rift between the CoA and the state bodies, with the latter finding the composition of the electoral college discriminatory. The panel representing the associations wrote to FIFA, who asked for a reduction in former players' representation to 25 percent, instead of the initially proposed 50 percent.

However, on 3 August, the Supreme Court passed an interim order, asking AIFF to conduct the election using the CoA-proposed 72-member electoral college. FIFA saw this development as a clear ‘deviation’ from the previously discussed roadmap and warned that it might ‘irrefutably jeopardize the mutual understanding’ between the two bodies.

3. What Are the Implications on the National Teams and Domestic Tournaments?

After being suspended by FIFA, the Indian men’s and women’s national teams, alongside all junior teams, will not be able to participate in any international match or competition. The men’s national team is supposed to compete in the AFC Asian Cup next year, but if the suspension is not lifted by then, Igor Stimac’s boys will be denied the opportunity.

The domestic competitions, however, are not affected by the suspension as neither FIFA nor AFC has direct jurisdiction over those. Hence, tournaments like the upcoming Durand Cup, Indian Super League, and I-League will be organised as per the original schedule, except that no team will be allowed to register the signing of any overseas player.

4. Can India Still Host the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup?

The suspension also prevents India from hosting any international competition, jeopardizing the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup that was planned to commence on August 11.

FIFA has stated that the competition “cannot currently be held in India as planned," and they are “assessing the next steps with regard to the tournament and will refer the matter to the Bureau of the Council if and when necessary.”

Simply put, India could still organise the event if the election and appointment of AIFF’s new executive committee conclude before FIFA relocates the competition to another country.

5. Have the Players or the Officials Reacted?

While the AIFF and the players have not reacted after FIFA announced the ban, men’s national team’s skipper Sunil Chhetri had previously stated that he asked his teammates to not pay attention to the developments as it is "out of their control."

"I've spoken to the boys and my advice is to not give it too much attention to this because it is out of your control. People who are involved are doing their best to make sure that we are going to come out with the best results possible. Everyone is working hard towards it," he had said.

Former player Bhaichung Bhutia, however, saw the positive aspect of the ban, claiming while it is a harsh step, this will facilitate the cleansing that Indian football required. "I feel it's a great opportunity for us to get our system right," Bhaichung claimed.