A joint four-member FIFA and AFC committee will visit India on June 11 to discuss matters of the Indian Football Federation (AIFF) chaired by India’s Supreme Court-appointed Trustee Committee (CoA). This was confirmed by CoA member Dr SY Quraishi who said the CoA would meet on June 8, ahead of FIFA’s visit, at the AIFF Football House to discuss drafting the constitution.
“We plan to work closely with FIFA and the AFC because we need their help and support. We want to clear up any misunderstandings that they may have or some people may intentionally create in their minds. But before we could send them invitations, we learned that they themselves would come on June 11,” Quraishi told reporters at a press conference.
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The visit of the FIFA and AFC committees is very important because the information collected during this period will then be used to decide whether a third party has interfered in the management of FIFA member associations by the State. In the past, the Kuwaiti and Indonesian football associations have been banned by the FIFA Council for interfering.
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If the FIFA Council views the establishment of the CoA and the management of the AIFF as a nuisance, the ban could mean that India will lose its hosting rights to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, to be held in October, between the hosts. other potential actions. .
Quraishi also gave four to five months, for the entire process of drafting and passing the FA constitution and elections, to elect a new executive committee. He said the election process would take another 6-8 weeks.
“Now that the Supreme Court has requested that the draft law be published, we are also seeking suggestions and comments on this matter. In light of these elements, we plan to submit an amended version of the Constitution by July 15 at the latest.
“We will then immediately start the selection process and complete it as soon as possible. After that, our task will be completed. We don’t want to stay any longer,” Quraishi said.
He also spoke about Praful Patel’s initiative to speak with FIFA on behalf of the AIFF in a positive way. “Mr Patel has written to FIFA, explaining the prospects to them, to allay any concerns. After that, if they have any doubts, it should go away. Any remaining doubts should be covered if they meet us physically and we are a well-meaning group of people. We expect full cooperation from FIFA and we will give them the same,” said Qureshi.
State association to meet
While on the one hand it is clear that all stakeholders will be consulted before the final constitution is submitted for ratification by the Supreme Court, some problems may arise with certain parts of the draft.
Issues such as the size of the executive committee, dual membership as well as stakeholder representation in the new constitution should all be discussed by member states and then submitted to the CoA for advice.
“Currently the composition of the implementing committee consists of 19 to 20 members and is selected based on the division of zones. This composition has been reduced in the draft constitution to 8-9 players inclusive. It’s too little and doesn’t reflect the diversity of the state,” the head of the state association told the Indian Express.
They also said the constitution’s focus on individual members rather than elected members of state associations could be a problem with FIFA. “Individuals must represent clubs, district associations or state associations. »
