<
>

FIFA suspends All India Football Federation, Under-17 Women's World Cup in doubt

India's would not be able to host the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup due to the FIFA ban. Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

FIFA announced the suspension of the All India Football Federation late on Monday evening, stating the "undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes."

The announcement was made via a release on the FIFA website. The governing body of world football stated that it would lift the suspension "once an order to set up a committee of administrators to assume the powers of the AIFF Executive Committee has been repealed and the AIFF administration regains full control of the AIFF's daily affairs."

The Supreme Court had placed the AIFF under the aegis of a Committee of Administrators (CoA) that it had selected, in May of this year. In June, the CoA had selected another committee to advise it, but that was dissolved after a day after reported strong objections from FIFA.

This suspension by FIFA has multiple implications for Indian football, including the fact that any domestic tournaments being conducted while the suspension is on will not be recognised by either the AFC or FIFA. The national teams will not be able to play any matches internationally, either.

This would mean the Gokulam Kerala women's team, which left for Uzbekistan on Monday, will be ineligible to compete in the AFC Women's Club Championship.

A more pressing concern, though, is that it also means that the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by India on 11 - 30 October, cannot be held in India anymore and neither can the Indian team compete in the tournament. FIFA said they are assessing steps regarding the same.

FIFA also said that they are in "constant constructive contact with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India and is hopeful that a positive outcome to the case may still be achieved."

Earlier, reports had emerged that FIFA had been firmly opposed to the inclusion of an equal number of individual members (i.e. 'eminent players') in the electoral college for the upcoming elections of the AIFF; an election for which a joint FIFA-AFC council had already set a deadline of 15 September.

Currently, the Supreme Court is set to further hear from the CoA on the status of the election and the formation of the AIFF constitution on Wednesday, August 17. That is also the last date for filing of nomination for the post of AIFF president.