The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) on Tuesday announced that it has decided to suspend the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect. According to an official statement, the decision was made due to “undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a severe violation of the FIFA statutes.” FIFA also mentioned that the suspension affects India’s hosting rights for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022, scheduled in October, which will not happen as planned.
The ban will stay till the CoA’s mandate is “repealed in full”; AIFF’s administration is “fully in charge” of managing the daily affairs of the federation; the constitution is in line with FIFA and AFC statutes and is approved by AIFF’s general body without any interference from “any third party” and elections held based on AIFF’s “pre-existing” membership status.
The Supreme Court is due to hear the matter on Wednesday. In an order on August 3, the court had called for elections to an interim body and said the AIFF’s general body should have equal representation of former internationals. The order had also said CoA would stay after the interim body is elected and till the constitution is finalized.