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Reuben Joe Joseph
Reuben Joe Joseph

WEEKEND SPECIAL

Explained: What is the ongoing AIFF crisis?

praful-patel-reuters [File] Ousted AIFF president Praful Patel | Reuters

Close on the heels of a rather successful hosting of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, India's football governing body was dealt a mighty blow by the Delhi High Court. The 2016 All India Football Federation elections were declared invalid by the court for not complying with the nomination procedures laid down by the national sports code.

Former AIFF president Praful Patel and the other 16 members of the executive council were removed from their positions, just days after Patel was the face of India successfully completing its hosting duties of its first FIFA competition.

The court appointed former chief election commissioner S.Y. Quraishi as the administrator and announced that fresh elections will be held within the next five months. The court had acted on a public interest litigation filed by sports activist Rahul Mehra, who claimed that the elections were rigged by the AIFF top brass.

According to Article 25.3 of the AIFF constitution: “A candidate for the post of President, Vice President, Treasurer or Member of the Executive Committee shall be proposed by at least five Permanent and/or Associate Members.” This violates the sports code guidelines which says that a member's nomination needs to be proposed only by two member associations.

Moreover, the AIFF had sent a list of 17 members to the state associations, prior to the elections, asking them to vote them to the 17 positions of the executive council. All 17 were elected unopposed. This process is as good as fixing the election.

The AIFF has been pulled up several times by the sports ministry for unlawful provisions in its constitution. In 2013, a section capping the age and tenure of presidents had to be included after the sports ministry gave a deadline for the body to implement the same.

Praful Patel was re-elected unopposed for the third term as president in 2016. He completed eight years as AIFF president in October 2017. Patel had replaced Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi as president in October 2009 almost a year after the latter had been taken ill.

The politician now has two options: He can either appeal to a higher court or lay low and ensure that elections take place smoothly. Note that he has not been banned by the court and can still take part in the elections. He is eligible for four more years under the current national sports code. But with his image tarnished and an impending amendment to the nomination process, his chances of winning back his post are slim. 

This will throw a spanner in his plans for Indian football that he boasted about during the World Cup. Patel is also a vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and is on FIFA’s finance committee.

The bigger problem now is that FIFA could take action against the AIFF for judicial interference. According to FIFA statutes, member federations must be free from legal and political interference in their respective countries. Several national associations have faced suspensions before in similar situations. 

fifa-reuters31117 The turmoil could also impact India's U-20 World Cup hosting aspirations as FIFA might not allow a country in administrative mess to host a tournament | Reuters

Most recently, the Pakistan Football Federation was suspended by FIFA on October 10 because of undue third-party interference. A statement from FIFA had said: “The PFF offices and its accounts remain in control of a court-appointed administrator, which constitutes a violation of the PFF obligations to manage its affairs independently.” Pakistan has temporarily lost its membership rights under FIFA and its clubs and national teams cannot take part in international competitions until the federation is run independently.

This administrative mess could also impact India's U-20 World Cup hosting aspirations. The country, Praful Patel in particular, has been coaxing and pleading with FIFA to consider India as a worthy host of the 2019 U-20 tournament, but, unless India resolves the matter quickly, FIFA might not allow a country in administrative turmoil to host a World Cup.

The petitioner, lawyer Rahul Mehra, has been fighting for fair elections in the AIFF since 2009. He told Goal.com that though the matter was taken up by the court in the months leading up to the U-17 World Cup, he was sure that it had waited until the tournament was over to give its verdict, so as to not disrupt the competition.

The AIFF's response to ruling has not helped matters. The body claims to be following the election process on the guidelines of the sports code, though it hardly seems so. A statement from the governing body read: “The AIFF is not aware of the reasons of the Hon’ble Delhi High Court to pass this order. Once AIFF receives the copy of the Order from the Hon’ble High Court, AIFF will decide the course of action in accordance with the law.”

It is unlikely that this current ruling will impact Indian football or its programmes in any way. Just like how Indian cricket is pulling through despite the ongoing turmoil in the board, football in the country will also continue. It will be interesting though, if a former player like Bhaichung Bhutia stands for the next AIFF elections. That will serve as a boost for the promotion and marketing of the sport in every corner of the country.

Both the I-League and the ISL will begin in November and will run parallely. But, while the ISL fixtures are already out—it begins on November 17—the I-League is yet to get its fixtures. The storm in the top administration has further delayed the process and teams have grown frustrated. Also, the next elections could impact the decision on the proposed merger of the two leagues next year—a debate that the AIFF has failed to settle for more than a year now.

The sports ministry has found it difficult to bring all national sports federations under the purview of the current sports code. It has been considered weak by many and there has been talk of a new all-encompassing, all-powerful sports code coming into being to ensure that there is accountability, transparency and efficiency in the administration of sports in the country.

Even if a solid framework were to arise, it will be interesting to see how the sports ministry ensures that every sports federation, whether big or small, falls in line, because each of them have a different way of operating, electing and administering the specific sport.

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