AIFF executive committee entitled to complete its full term from 2022 to 2026: FIFA-AFC

PANAJI: FIFA, the governing body for world football, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has reiterated that the “current elected executive committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is entitled to complete its full term from 2022 to 2026.”The letter signed by Elkhan Mammadov, FIFA’s chief member associations officer and Vahid Kardany, deputy general secretary, member associations, AFC, was emailed to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey on April 29 earlier this year. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!This letter, along with a recent FIFA-AFC communication dated August 26 which threatened to suspend India if there’s no definitive order from the Supreme Court and ratification of the Constitution by the general body before Oct 30, was submitted before the SC by AIFF’s lawyer Siddhesh S Kotwal on Thursday.In its letter, FIFA has drawn AIFF’s attention to a communication from Justice L. Nageswara Rao dated July 25, 2023, regarding the draft of the new AIFF Constitution. Justice Nageswara Rao was appointed by the Supreme Court and given the mandate to draft the AIFF Constitution in consultation with various stakeholders prior to its submission to the court.“According to the above-mentioned letter and following several meetings, notably the meeting held on July 12 (2023) at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich which was attended by representatives of FIFA, the AFC, the AIFF together with Justice L. Nageswara Rao, it was clearly stated and agreed, as mentioned in point “e”, that the AIFF executive committee elected in 2022 would serve its full term through to 2026 and that upon the completion of the mandate, elections of a new executive committee shall take place as prescribed in the amended Constitution. This was agreed following the decision of Justice L. Nageswara Rao to remove the specific transitional provision which was originally proposed in the draft confirming this matter,” the letter states.FIFA also said the draft constitution ratified by Justice L. Nageswara Rao’s office and submitted to the Supreme Court on July 31, 2023, states that the current AIFF elected executive committee is entitled to complete its full term.Point “e” referred to by FIFA in its communication to Chaubey is the "transitional provisions pertaining to the application of the provisions of the amended Constitution” in Justice Nageswara Rao’s email to Nodar Akhalkatsi, FIFA’s director of strategic projects and member association governance, on July 25, 2023.“Upon deliberations and post our discussion and basis FIFA/AFC’s proposal for the same, it has been decided that the existing AIFF executive committee who were elected to their posts shall stay in power for the duration of their term. However, upon completion of the same, elections shall take place as prescribed in the amended Constitution and a new executive committee shall be elected. “Therein, it has been finalised that there shall be no provision pertaining to the same that is necessary as an addition to the amended Constitution. However, the same shall be accounted for and will find mention in my report which shall be submitted to the Hon'ble Supreme Court along with the draft Constitution. FIFA's concern with respect to the transition between Constitutions therein stands addressed,” said Justice Nageswara Rao.