CoA tenure to end in attempt by SC to revoke FIFA suspension

The Supreme Court of India ordered on Monday the suspension of activities of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) appointed to oversee the operations of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), giving the control of the daily affairs of the Indian football-governing body to the Secretary General of the AIFF.

The decision arrives on the back of FIFA adjudging the intervention of the CoA in the affairs of the AIFF as a third-party interference and subsequently suspending the governing body. 

The Secretary General of the AIFF will be appointed and picked via election by the 36 State Associations. The time period granted by the Supreme Court via order dated August 3, 2022, to submit the election polls by August 28 has now been deferred by a week. 

The attempt to restore the management of the AIFF solely in the hands of the federation itself is to ensure that the Under-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup does indeed take place in India; the tournament, as it currently stands, will not be hosted by the country if the AIFF suspension prevails.

Furthermore, the participation of Indian national teams in FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournaments is critical to Indian football, and the same would not be possible without lifting the ban.

Gokulam Kerala have now returned to India without playing the AFC Women’s Club Championship in light of the FIFA ban. 

Ensuring the AIFF regains control over its affairs is of paramount importance at this moment in time.