FIFA warns All India Football Federation against third-party interference

All India Football Federation president Praful Patel, who was elected for the third successive term after elections were conducted last year in December, asked to be set aside by the Delhi Supreme Court for not following the National Sports Code. However, that hasn't gone down well with the sport's global governing body as it warned the AIFF against bringing in any third party interference in its operations.

FIFA sent a letter to the federation asking for more details regarding this issue as the Delhi High Court not only set aside the election of Praful Patel but also nominated former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi to take charge of the affairs of the country’s footballing body for the time being.

“We can confirm that FIFA has today sent a letter to the AIFF requesting more information about Delhi’s High Court decision as well as the steps that AIFF intends to undertake in this matter,” said a FIFA spokesperson as quoted by Hindustan Times.

“FIFA has also reminded the AIFF that in accordance with art. 14 par. 1 Iet. i) and art‚ 19 of the FIFA Statutes all member associations, including the AIFF, are obliged to manage their affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties.”

After receiving the order, the AIFF expected to consult with their lawyers to decide on their future action. The previous examples showed that FIFA has a zero-tolerance policy towards third-party interference as Pakistan, Kuwait, and Guatemala have already been banned by the FIFA.

Patel first became an acting president of the AIFF for a one-year term after former president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi suffered a cardiac arrest in 2008. However, in October 2009, he became the full-time president and was re-elected in December 2012. Last year, he was again elected without opposition for a third term while Kushal Das was appointed as the general secretary.