ISLAMABAD: India faces the risk of another suspension from international football after FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation warned the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to finalise its long-delayed constitution by October 30 or face a ban.
FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have sent a strong warning to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), saying it must approve a new constitution by October 30. If not, India could face suspension from world football.
In a letter to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, FIFA and AFC said they were “deeply concerned” that the AIFF still has not finalized the constitution, which has been stuck in India’s Supreme Court since 2017.
“If this deadline is missed, the matter will go to FIFA’s decision-makers,” the letter said.
“AIFF must treat this message seriously and act immediately to keep its place in FIFA and AFC,” it added.
If FIFA suspends India, the national teams and club teams will not be allowed to play in any international tournaments.
This has happened before. In August 2022, India was banned briefly after the Supreme Court put a committee in charge of the AIFF. That ban was lifted a few days later, and Chaubey was then elected.
But Indian football is facing more problems today.
The country’s top league, the Indian Super League (ISL), is in trouble. A fight between the AIFF and the company that runs the ISL, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), has delayed the start of the new season. Thousands of players, coaches, and workers could lose their jobs.
The agreement between the AIFF and FSDL ends on December 8, and there is no new deal yet. The league usually runs from September to April, but this season is already off track.
Last week, the players’ union FIFPRO Asia/Oceania spoke to FIFA about the issue, asking for help.
India now has just over two months to fix things. If it fails, it could once again be cut off from the global football world.
