Why has FIFA banned India, and what impact will this have on Indian football now?
Why has FIFA banned India, and what impact will this have on Indian football now? A palpable tension spread among the top players as well as prominent ISL and I-League clubs after the FIFA ban on Indian football due to “third party interference”.
The letter sent by the world football governing body general secretary Fatma Samoura embodies Article 13 of FIFA Statutes. It states:
“AIFF representatives and club teams are therefore no longer entitled to take part in the international competition until the suspension is lifted.”
What is this ban, and how will it work?
The AIFF is suspended by FIFA due to “third-party interference”. Third-party interference is a situation in which a member association of FIFA fails to remain independent. It is co-opted and has no control over its organization.
This suspension means that there will be no participation of the country in international football. This restriction applies to all national teams, across all age groups. It restricts both men’s and women’s football, and all club teams in India to participate in international football.
The suspension impacts international transfers and all courses or developmental programs that AIFF officials were taking part in. The suspension in effect means a total ban on all football-related activities outside India. However, the league within the country, and the domestic transfers, can continue.
Why did FIFA not immediately ban India after the COA was tasked with running the AIFF?
When FIFA initially took stock of the case, it believed that the Committee of Administrators would not be making any major changes to the AIFF constitution.
But when the first draft of the constitution was released, it was observed that the court-appointed administrators went on to alter the executive committee of the AIFF. They altered the democratically elected body among state associations that runs the affairs of AIFF. They also modified the way the executive committee would be formed, and who could vote or be voted for in its formation.
Chief among this was that the executive committee would be comprising 50% of “eminent players”. Therefore, 35 state associations with voting rights will be contending with 35 eminent players who would have the same voting rights. These changes were against the FIFA statutes. The world body agreed to 25% player representation in the committee, but no changes were recorded or documented on paper.
On the other hand, the COA made changes in the wording of what India’s top league was. They made alterations on how relegation and promotion would work. They introduced modifications in laying down that the AIFF would be running the top league solely.
FIFA initially held off on the ban on India. These changes to how the AIFF functioned were done without the presence of an executive committee present to ratify or challenge these decisions. This was considered third-party interference by the world governing body of football.