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India risks FIFA suspension over AIFF’s constitution delay.
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A ban would sideline its national teams and clubs worldwide.
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The Indian Super League faces a rights dispute.
India risks FIFA suspension for the second time in three years after the world football governing body and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) warned the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to adopt a new constitution by October 30.
Also Read: FIFA Suspends India Football Federation Over Undue Influence From Third Party
FIFA and the AFC, in a joint letter to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, voiced “profound concern” over the federation’s failure to finalise its constitution, which has been pending in India’s Supreme Court since 2017.
They warned that if India fails to comply, FIFA could strip the country of its membership rights.
A suspension would block India’s national teams and clubs from international competitions.
FIFA already banned India in August 2022 after the Supreme Court appointed a committee to run the AIFF, but it lifted the ban days later and cleared the way for Chaubey’s election.
Indian football now faces another crisis. The Indian Super League (ISL), the country’s biggest football competition, has hit a standstill after a clash between the AIFF and its business partner, Football Sports Development Limited.
Owing to this standoff, thousands of players and staff are stuck waiting without clarity about their future.
The situation has grown even more troubling as the league’s rights deal runs out on December 8, and so far, no one has stepped up with a plan to extend or revive it.
Meanwhile, FIFPRO Asia/Oceania has already taken these issues straight to FIFA.