Agency :
Global football body FIFA announced on Monday that it would be suspending the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect.
The decision was “due to undue influence from third parties,” constituting a serious violation of the FIFA statutes, the organization’s governing body said.
The AIFF is in a state of some chaos and being run by administrators after long-serving former chief Praful Patel stayed in office beyond the maximum term of 12 years without fresh elections, which courts ruled invalid.
Patel, who has held a number of high-profile government positions alongside his AIFF post, ran Indian football from 2009 and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the German Football Association (DFB) in 2019.
Fresh elections are to be held on August 28 and the polls process began last week, after India’s Supreme Court approved a timeline prepared by the administrators.
The suspension means that the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022, scheduled to take place in India on 11-30 October, cannot currently be held in the country as planned. Patel had a significant role in the tournament being awarded to India.
World football’s governing body is assessing the next steps with regard to the tournament. FIFA said it is in constant contact with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India and that it was hopeful that a positive outcome could still be achieved.
India’s highest court disbanded the AIFF in May and appointed a three-member committee to govern the sport, amend the AIFF’s constitution and conduct elections that have been pending for 18 months.
