Supreme Court wants AIFF to go through a BCCI-style structural overhaul
Supreme Court has suggested that the All India Football Federation needs a BCCI-style structural overhaul for reforming the constitution of the AIFF. The apex court of the land has also added that they can appoint an eminent footballer as ombudsman along with the former CEC SY Quraishi.
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. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud also said that it would pass an order on the plea which was filed by the AIFF challenging the High Court verdict setting aside Patel’s election.
This is not the first time that Supreme court has interfered in the matter of a sporting body doing the same for the BCCI by proposing Lodha committee regulations. The bench now wants the AIFF to frame an amended constitution incorporating the suggestions of the Delhi High Court.
“We can appoint an eminent footballer as ombudsman along with the former Chief Election Commissioner,” the bench said as quoted by PTI.
The bench also requested lawyer Rahul Mehra to give suggestions which can boost the status of Indian football. Mehra, who had filed the plea in the High Court, claimed that there has been a lack of infrastructure at the grass-root level and sports authorities, too, lack interest in promoting the game which pushed India to 105th position in the world.
The apex court had agreed to hear the appeal of the AIFF challenging the Delhi High Court verdict setting aside the election of Patel as its president. The High Court, on October 31, had also appointed former CEC Quraishi to take charge of the affairs of the AIFF for the time being. AIFF had sought urgent hearing of its plea saying that the bid for hosting the FIFA Under-20 World Cup was coming up and the last date for its submission was November 14.
“The High Court in midst of the upcoming Football season comprising of the Indian Super League and the I- League both starting in the month of November, 2017 and the bidding process for the Fifa Under-20 World Cup 2019 which is to be completed by 14th November 2017, has wrongly ousted the Executive Committee and stopped the smooth functioning of the Petitioner Federation (AIFF),” it had alleged.Â
