Sports Ministry requests FIFA and AFC to allow Indian clubs to play AFC tournaments
Sports Ministry Requests FIFA And AFC: Despite the suspension of AIFF’s participation in tournaments, the Indian Sports Ministry has asked the governing body of football around the world, FIFA, as well as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), to let two Indian clubs, Sree Gokulam Kerala FC and ATK Mohun Bagan, compete in the competitions as planned.
As the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was being suspended by FIFA late on Monday, the Gokulam Kerala women’s squad was already on their way to Uzbekistan to compete in their second Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Club Championship. This created a chaotic situation.
In Qarshi, the women’s team is timetabled to compete against a team from Iran on August 23 and one from the host nation on August 26. ATK Mohun Bagan is scheduled to play the AFC Cup 2022 (Inter-Zone semifinals) on September 7 in Bahrain. The men’s team is scheduled to compete against a team from Iran on August 23 and one from the host nation on August 26.
FIFA and AFC
The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs communicated to FIFA and AFC, informing them that Gokulam Kerala was already in Uzbekistan when FIFA declared that it would suspend AIFF.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that read, “It has requested FIFA and AFC to consider therefore permitting the team to play in the AFC Women’s Club Championship (West region) in the interest of the young players.” The statement was made in response to a request made by the Ministry.
According to what the ministry said, it also “We made contact with the Indian embassy in Uzbekistan in order to provide our team support in any and all ways we could. In addition, the ministry maintains regular communication with the management of the Gokulam team.”
Following the suspension announcement, the president of the Gokulam Kerala women’s team, VC Praveen, called the sports ministry with the players standing by his side.
After that, the ministry wasted no time in bringing the issue up with the AFC, who extended the team’s stay in Tashkent by another 48 hours.
The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) said on Monday that it had suspended India for “undue influence from third parties” and that the Under-17 Women’s World Cup “cannot currently be hosted in India as planned.”
Because of “flagrant violations of the FIFA Statutes,” the Asian Football Confederation (AIFF) has been barred from participating in FIFA competitions for the very first time in the organization’s 85-year history.