Khushi Bajpai
Published on: 16 August, 2022 at 19:11 IST
A case concerning the suspension of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) will be heard by the Supreme Court tomorrow.
After Solicitor General Tushar Mehta claimed that there had been a fresh development in the case, a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna consented to hear the case tomorrow.
“There has been some progress. It can’t be removed. There was a development from Geneva in the early morning. FIFA sent a letter, which is now in the public domain,” the SG said.
According to a press release published by FIFA, The FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 cannot be staged in India as a result of the AIFF’s instant suspension. The SG was making reference to this statement.
“Due to undue interference from outside parties, which is a major violation of the FIFA Statutes, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been unanimously suspended by the FIFA Council Bureau with immediate effect. Once an order to establish a committee of administrators to take the authority of the AIFF Executive Committee has been rescinded and the AIFF administration has complete control over the AIFF’s daily operations, the suspension will be lifted,” the Tuesday press statement said.
This development comes after the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which the Supreme Court appointed to oversee the AIFF and draught its new constitution, filed a petition asking for contempt charges to be brought against former AIFF President Praful Patel and the officers of seven other state associations.
The actions of Patel and the others, it was claimed in the plea, had prompted communications from FIFA threatening to take India’s hosting rights for the next Under-17 Women’s World Cup into consideration.
Relevantly, the complaint said that Patel convened a meeting with state associations three days after the top court’s order establishing an interim body to oversee AIFF elections, where he allegedly underlined “his active participation to drive India towards a suspension by disguising the genuine facts.”
The Apex court had earlier this month mandated that, in accordance with the existing draught constitution, quick elections be held for an interim body to lead the AIFF. This decision was made in response to an appeal the AIFF filed against the Delhi High Court’s decision to halt the committee’s new elections. According to the petitioners, the incumbent CoA was operating unlawfully.
The Court made it clear that players with international experience will be permitted to vote and be a part of the executive and general committees, rejecting the appellant’s request to bar specific eminent players from casting a ballot.