The Bureau of the FIFA Council has unanimously decided to suspend the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect. The decision was made “due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes,” said FIFA. As a consequence of the suspension, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022, scheduled to take place in India on Oct. 11-30, 2022, cannot currently be held in the country as planned.
Administrators are presently running the AIFF. Earlier this year in May, the Supreme Court ousted the sitting president of the AIFF, Praful Patel, after he stayed in office beyond the maximum term of 12 years. Given that new elections, which were due in December 2020, were not held, the Supreme Court appointed a committee of administrators to manage the AIFF. “The suspension will be lifted once an order to set up a committee of administrators to assume the powers of the AIFF Executive Committee has been repealed and the AIFF administration regains full control of the AIFF’s daily affairs,” FIFA explained in a statement. FIFA added it is still hoping for a positive outcome as “constructive contact” is ongoing with India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
