FIFA - the apex governing body for football in the world has announced that it has banned AIFF with immediate effect. All India Football Federation (AIFF) is India’s national regulator of the sport and has been in the news recently due to the ongoing crisis. The decision to ban AIFF from FIFA was passed unanimously by the Bureau of the FIFA Council. Giving a justification for its stand against AIFF, FIFA has said that the decision has been taken ‘due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes’.
The official media release issued by FIFA confirming the ban on AIFF read "The Bureau of the FIFA Council has unanimously decided to suspend the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes.”
The Background
The ban by FIFA on AIFF - All India Football Federation comes following a crisis that has been brewing at the football’s apex regulator in the country for months. On 18th May, the Supreme Court of India ordered the removal of Mr Praful Patel from the post of AIFF president after he failed to hold elections for the football body as per the earlier issued deadline of December 2020. Then, the apex court also appointed a 3-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), headed by former top court judge AR Dave, to manage the affairs of the AIFF. The committee was entrusted with the task of drafting the AIFF constitution in accordance with the National Sports Code and model guidelines. It is against this decision of the Supreme Court that FIFA has raised an objection and decided to ban AIFF for "undue influence from third parties".
What will be the impact of the FIFA Ban on Indian Football?
Losing U-17 Women’s World Cup Host Status
One of the biggest and immediate impact of the ban imposed by FIFA on AIFF will be seen on the 2022 Under-17 Women's FIFA World Cup. India is the host of the U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled to be held from 11th to 30th October 2022. However, following the FIFA ban, India will no longer be able to host the world-level Football tournament, which is a big blow for the country.
National Teams Not Allowed to Play in International Tournaments
Another significant impact of the FIFA ban on AIFF would be neither men’s nor women’s national teams for football will be able to participate in any FIFA tournaments or against national teams of other countries. The ban on the national team from playing football in other countries will continue across age groups and even junior teams will also be disqualified from playing international tournaments.
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