Indian football federation faces FIFA ban for second time in three years

Published
0
India’s Sunil Chhetri in action at the AFC Qualifiers at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, India on November 21, 2023. — Reuters/File
India’s Sunil Chhetri in action at the AFC Qualifiers at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, India on November 21, 2023. — Reuters/File

India could be banned from world football for the second time in three years after FIFA and the Asian governing body demanded it implement a new constitution by October 30 or risk suspension.

World governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) sent a joint letter to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey expressing “profound concern” at the continued failure to finalise and adopt the constitution.

“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,” said the letter, seen by AFP.

“AIFF must regard this communication as binding and requiring immediate compliance in order to safeguard its rights as a member of FIFA and the AFC,” it added.

The AIFF constitution has been in India’s Supreme Court awaiting a decision since 2017.

A suspension would mean India national teams and clubs being barred from all international competitions.

FIFA previously suspended India in August 2022 for third-party influence after the Supreme Court appointed a committee of administrators to run the AIFF.

The ban was lifted a few days later, paving the way for the AIFF to elect Chaubey.

India’s top-flight club football is currently in disarray.

The Indian Super League (ISL) could fold over a dispute between the AIFF and its commercial partner.

This season’s ISL kickoff has been delayed with thousands of players and staff in danger of losing their jobs.

A rights agreement between the AIFF and the company that runs the ISL, Football Sports Development Limited, ends on December 8 and is yet to be renewed.

The AIFF has been unable to come up with a revival plan for the ISL, which is usually played between September and April.

Players union FIFPRO Asia/Oceania raised the issue with FIFA last week.

Opinion

Editorial

State of confusion
Updated 05 Aug, 2026

State of confusion

FROM the looks of it, America has no exit strategy to extricate itself from the disastrous war with Iran. US...
Pension decision
05 Aug, 2026

Pension decision

THE government’s decision to formally operationalise the new Defined Contribution Pension Fund Scheme is a step...
Preventable deaths
05 Aug, 2026

Preventable deaths

THE deaths of 144 children from measles and diphtheria in Karachi during the first seven months of the year expose a...
Swat bombing
Updated 04 Aug, 2026

Swat bombing

IT is a bitter irony that terrorists struck a protest against violence in Swat on Sunday, causing at least 17...
Tariff blow
04 Aug, 2026

Tariff blow

FOR an export sector already squeezed by high production costs, the additional 10pc tariff on top of the existing...
Perilous peaks
04 Aug, 2026

Perilous peaks

THE deaths of 10 climbers in an avalanche on Broad Peak is a sad reminder of the perils that many mountaineers face...