FIFA's AIFF Ban, The Deadline For The Worst Phase Of Indian Football

New Delhi: It started with former All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel not stepping down even after his third term ended in December 2020 and now has the worst result of a FIFA ban on India. Patel had refused to hold elections till the issue of the new constitution was resolved in the apex court, taking recourse to a case pending in the Supreme Court since 2017. According to the Sports Code, a person can hold office in any national sports federation for a maximum period of 12 years and Patel had completed that period. After this, the matter went to court and his intervention was sought.

FIFA suspended AIFF for third-party interference. Here the details of the time frame of this entire event are being given. * May 18 - Supreme Court ruling forces AIFF chief Praful Patel and his executive committee to step down. The Supreme Court also appointed a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) headed by former apex court judge AR Dave, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi, and former Indian football team captain Bhaskar Ganguly.

*May 23- Praful Patel requests FIFA chief Gianni Infantino not to impose sanctions on the country after the AIFF's governance is handed over to the Committee of Administrators. *May 29- CoA member SY Qureshi said the AIFF should have a newly-elected body by the end of September and a revised constitution would be presented before the Supreme Court by July 15. *June 11 - Members of the COA and some affiliated units attend a meeting to discuss holding the long-pending national federation elections as soon as possible under a new constitution that will comply with the National Sports Code, FIFA, and AFC laws. Huh. * June 21 - The first round of talks between the FIFA-AFC team and the CoA, which governs Indian football, went 'good'.

* June 22 - The AIFF member units met the FIFA-AFC team and informed them about the Supreme Court's intervention in the national sporting body. * 23 June – The FIFA-AFC team sets a deadline for reforming the system. Asked stakeholders to ratify the constitution by July 31 and hold elections by September 15. * July 13 - COA sends the final draft constitution of AIFF to FIFA. *July 16- CoA submits AIFF draft constitution to Supreme Court for approval. *July 18- AIFF's state units expressed unhappiness over several provisions in the final draft constitution prepared by the CoA but said they were ready to find a middle ground. A seven-member panel representing state associations wrote to FIFA that several sections of the final draft were discriminatory and illogical.

* July 21 - Supreme Court upholds the need to expedite AIFF elections. *July 26- FIFA recommends to AIFF that instead of the 50 percent prescribed by the COA in the draft constitution, the AIFF should have 25 percent representation of eminent players in its executive committee. *July 28: A Supreme Court bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant said it will hear on August 3 the modalities for holding elections. *August 3 - Supreme Court directs AIFF Executive Committee to conduct elections at the earliest as per the schedule proposed by the CoA. The apex court said that the electoral college for AIFF's executive committee will consist of representatives of 36 state associations and 36 eminent football players.

*August 5 - Supreme Court approves COA deadline for AIFF polls, polls to be held on August 28, and election process to begin on August 13. * August 6 - FIFA threatens to suspend AIFF due to third-party influence and take away the hosting rights of the Women's Under-17 World Cup in October. * August 7 - COA assures FIFA that it is ready to organize the All India Football Federation.

*August 10- CoA files contempt petition against ousted AIFF president Praful Patel for 'interfering in the proceedings of the Supreme Court. *August 11- Supreme Court warns state units for participating in meetings of AIFF deposed chief Praful Patel and interfering in the administration of justice. *August 13- 36 eminent sportspersons including Bhaichung Bhutia and IM Vijayan are included in the electoral roll for the AIFF elections to be held on August 28.

*15 August – FIFA informs the Sports Ministry that it stands firm in opposition to the inclusion of individual members in the electoral college for All India Football Federation (AIFF) elections. * FIFA suspends AIFF due to 'undue influence of the third party and snatches U-17 Women's World Cup hosting rights from India.