The Supreme Court of India’s order on Monday terminating the mandate of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to temporarily manage the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is set to pave the way for ending India’s international isolation. World football’s governing body FIFA had suspended the AIFF on August 15 citing “undue interference from a third party” and made a decision reversal conditional on the full repeal of the CoA’s mandate and the handing back of the AIFF’s daily affairs to the AIFF administration. Both these conditions have been met, alongside key amendments to the draft constitution as desired by FIFA – limiting the electoral college to just State association nominees and instead giving players representation as nominated members in the Executive Committee. There are still points of friction over calculation of term limits and the ‘one person, one post’ principle in the draft constitution. But these are unlikely to foil India’s rehabilitation and its attempts to win back U-17 Women’s World Cup hosting rights. There are apprehensions that the disbanding of the CoA will have an impact on other sports such as hockey and table tennis, which are also functioning under court-appointed committees. But it is to be noted that the Court merely ended the CoA’s tenure and did not nullify all of its actions. The AIFF will still be guided by the draft constitution the CoA helped finalise, albeit with a few amendments.
While the AIFF seems to have weathered the storm, the suspension, however brief it may turn out to be, has come at an enormous cost for the women of Gokulam Kerala FC, whose dreams of competing in their maiden AFC Asian Women’s Club Championship were shattered. The Union Sports Ministry should play a more active role in ensuring that the athletes and the sport are protected. The whole saga has its roots in the erstwhile AIFF establishment’s non-adherence to the National Sports Development Code for 18 months. The Sports Code is a government-mandated regulation, and the onus is on the Ministry to crack the whip on erring federations. But it seemingly did not act until the matter reached the highest court and it sensed that India would lose out on the World Cup. As in the case of the AIFF, the Indian Olympic Association has been in the dock and the Delhi High Court duly placed it under a CoA. The Supreme Court has since ordered status quo for at least four more weeks. It would be prudent for all stakeholders to use this time to put the house in order.
