The next Supreme Court hearing regarding the suspension of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) by FIFA will take place on 22 August, as the sports ministry continues discussions with the global football governing council.
The operations of AIFF are currently being managed by a court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), who are facilitating the apex court in the formation and eventual implementation of a new constitution of the organization.
However, FIFA viewed CoA’s involvement as 'undue third-party influence’ over the Indian football governing body, and on 16 August, they decided to suspend AIFF, plunging Indian football into an era of uncertainty. Among the numerous events put in jeopardy because of the decision is the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which is supposed to be held in India from 11 October.
The Supreme Court agreed to an immediate hearing regarding the issue on 17 August. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is representing the sports ministry in this matter, claimed that the ministry, CoA and FIFA are in consistent discussions regarding the future of Indian football and requested a hearing on August 22.
While the suspension currently prevents India from organizing any international events, the country will still be able to host the U-17 World Cup if a new AIFF constitution gets implemented and a new executive committee comes into power before FIFA decides to relocate the event to another nation.
In what is a key outcome of today’s events, the apex court asked the Centre to take proactive measures to ensure the hosting of the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, with the competition providing India’s youngsters with a unique opportunity to showcase their talent in the biggest stage.
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