The Supreme Court on Monday terminated the Committee of Administrators (CoA) it set up to manage the All India Football Federation (AIFF). It also directed the day-to-day affairs of the football body to be looked after by the AIFF administration, headed by the Acting Secretary General. The Supreme Court ruling has given fresh hopes of FIFA lifting the ban on AIFF and the country being able to host the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in October.
With the apex court literally dissolving the CoA, the day-to-day affairs of Indian football are back in the hands of the All India Football Federation with acting general secretary Sunando Dhar. The Supreme Court had appointed the three-member CoA headed by former top court judge AR Dave to run the affairs of the AIFF in a May 18 order while ousting Praful Patel as president of the national federation. Other members of CoA included former Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Qureshi and ex-Indian football captain Bhaskar Ganguly.
It noted on August 15, the Federation received a communication intimating that the Bureau of FIFA Council had on August 14 taken a decision to suspend AIFF from the membership of the world body, FIFA. During the hearing, the Centre led by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the committee of administrators (CoA), managing affairs of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), must cease to exist. He also proposed that 25 % of the elected executive committee should have eminent players.
The AIFF election programme is permitted to be modified by extending the date of the polls by one week. The voter’s list for the ensuing elections shall consist of representatives of the member associations representing states and Union Territories. The returning officers – Shri Umesh Sinha and Shri Tapas Bhattacharya -shall be deemed to be returning officers appointed by this Court, since no objection has been recorded to their continuance by any of the contesting parties.
The day-to-day management of AIFF shall be looked after by the AIFF administration led by the acting secretary general Sunando Dhar exclusively and as of now the ensuing friendlies against Singapore and Vietnam stands cancelled.
On the other hand, Bhaichung Bhutia is the most prominent name among the seven applications filed so far for the AIFF president’s post. The other names are Kalyan Chowbey, Manvinder Singh, Shaji Prabhakaran, N.A. Harris, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Valanka Alamao.
In a desperate move to get the FIFA ban on AIFF revoked, the central government moved an application in the Supreme Court, seeking an end to the “mandate” of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), as demanded by the world governing body. The sports ministry’s move, a day before a crucial hearing of the top court, can be seen as an attempt to salvage the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to be held in October.
