India is facing a ban by FIFA if its football association does not meet the conditions set by the governing body.
India’s footballing association will have to complete changes to its constitution and elect new office bearers by Sept. 15 to avoid being banned.
India’s highest court had earlier dissolved the All India Football Federation (AIFF) executive committee last month after it failed to follow suit with the instructions with the court then appointing a three-member committee to run the body, amend the AIFF’s constitution, and conduct elections that have been pending for 18 months.
FIFA demands in its constitution that its member federations must be free from legal and political interference of their respective countries with the governing body coming down hard on cases of dissension, including Pakistan.
A joint team sent by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation led by AFC General Secretary Windsor John met Indian football stakeholders, including sports minister Anurag Thakur, during a three-day visit that concluded on Thursday.
The meetings concluded that the next steps should be the ratification of the AIFF statutes in line with FIFA/AFC principles of good governance and the holding of an electoral congress to choose the next AIFF leadership,” the AFC said in a statement.
Shaji Prabhakaran, former FIFA regional development officer, confirmed that the AIFF had been given a deadline of July 31 to amend its statutes and Sept. 15 to conclude its election
A ban by FIFA could see India lose the hosting right for the U17 Women’s World Cup set for October.
