The Indian federation has been suspended by FIFA and all football in this great nation will suffer, especially the women’s footballers who rely on the Under-17 World Cup to be in the media spotlight. The FIFA Council Bureau suspended the Indian Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday.with direct effect for undue influence by third parties, which is a serious violation of FIFA statutes“, According to the press release. That is, political interference in the functioning of the federation, is prohibited by FIFA.

This suspension had an immediate and very real effect in a country where football remains the secondary sport behind the king of cricket: the Women’s Under-17 World Cup, which was due to take place in India from 11 to 30 October, was finally cancelled. It will be the first FIFA tournament to be held in India since 2017. The sanctions also coincide with the start of the first-ever Asian Football Confederations Women’s Club Championship (AFC) qualification. FC, winner of the Indian national championship.

“We have worked really hard in the last two months and all the players are ready to win the AFC trophy“, regrets Ashalati Devi, captain of the Indian team and selection team, interviewed by India News. “Winning the title remains a dream for us,” explained Devi, describing the team as “annoyed with it all“In a statement, the club regrets being prevented from competing.”without our responsibility“According to Lavanya Verma, who almost qualified for the national team,”the main reason for this suspension lies in bad governance (from AIFF), but we are all innocent players… and we have to suffer (from this situation)“.

Lack of sponsors

The women’s national team is ranked 58th in the world, a modest ranking but much better than the men’s team (104), and last year’s Gokulam players became the first Indian team to qualify for the AFC competition. National referee Rachana Kamani thinks that the suspension decided by FIFA could jeopardize the future of the sport, and make it less attractive. “With this ban (…) women’s desire to play (football) can be reduced because they will not see a future in this sport.“, he explained to AFP.

The AIFF is plagued with governance problems, after its former leader Praful Patel remained in office beyond his term without holding new elections. Women’s football in India is already facing a shortage of resources and the suspension is expected to increase financial pressure, said Jamshed Chenoy, who leads the team in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. “The level of support for women’s football in terms of sponsorship will take a hit“, he told AFP.