How will the FIFA ban impact India?

Brut India

FIFA suspended the All India Football Federation this week. But it’s not just the game time that Indian players will lose out on…

Transcript

00:00To everyone who is not a football fan, please come and watch us.

00:05Two reasons.

00:06Number one, it's the best game in the world.

00:09And number two, we play for our country.

00:12We'll make sure that once you come to watch us, you will not go the same person back home.

00:16It's very unfortunate that FIFA has banned Indian football.

00:19And at the same time, I feel it's a very harsh decision from FIFA to ban Indian football.

00:23Well, these two contrasting statements from two Indian football legends

00:27define the sad state of affairs of Indian football in the country.

00:30You might be living under a rock if you haven't heard the unfortunate news of FIFA

00:35suspending the All India Football Federation AIFF with immediate effect.

00:39The World Football Governing Body took this decision citing

00:42undue interference of the third parties in the functioning of Indian football.

00:46FIFA announced this decision on 16th August 2022

00:50accusing the Indian Football Federation of violating FIFA's statutes.

00:55But this is not the first instance when FIFA had imposed a ban on a member association for a similar reason.

01:00Iraq in 2008 and 2009.

01:03Nigeria in 2014.

01:05Kuwait in 2015.

01:06Indonesia in 2015.

01:08Pakistan in 2014 and 2017.

01:11Chad in 2021.

01:13Zimbabwe and Kenya in 2022.

01:16All these nations face the wrath of FIFA's fury owing to

01:19third-party interference in the functioning of their respective football federations.

01:23But what exactly is the third-party interference?

01:25Third-party interference refers to a situation in which a member association of FIFA

01:30fails to work independently and no longer has control over the day-to-day affairs of the federation.

01:36Well, in this case, FIFA sees the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators

01:40influencing the decision-making in Indian football as third-party interference.

01:44FIFA also noted that AIFF had been ordered by the Supreme Court to hold elections

01:49before the AIFF constitution was finalized.

01:52According to FIFA statutes, this was a textbook case of third-party interference.

01:57And how does this impact Indian football?

01:59Well, the suspension means India's national teams, senior and junior,

02:03men's and women's, and its clubs cannot participate in international and continental competitions this season.

02:09The ban applies to all national teams across all age groups.

02:12The situation is far worse for Indian women's league champions,

02:16Gokulam Kerala FC women's team.

02:18Gokulam Kerala FC landed in Tashkent on Tuesday morning i.e. 16th August 2022

02:24to take part in the second AFC Women's Club Championship.

02:28But the ladies were greeted with the news of the suspension.

02:31This meant that they were banned from participating in the tournament they had travelled to take part in.

02:36Another massive concern will be around U-17 Women's World Cup.

02:40India's chances to host the quadrennial event has gone for a toss after the news of suspension.

02:45The U-17 Women's World Cup was supposed to be held from October 11th to October 30th later this year in India.

02:51But it's not just the game time that players will lose out on.

02:55If the ban stays, India could lose out on massive grants that FIFA issues for grassroot development for the game in the country.

03:02In the last three years, FIFA reportedly sanctioned grants to the tune of 3 million US dollars.

03:07If the ban persists, the AIFF stands to lose 5 lakh US dollars in funding annually.

03:14As per an AIFF insider, FIFA currently pays its member nations in-kind

03:19such as construction of AstroTurf, providing football jerseys and other gear and not in cash.

03:25All of this could be stopped.

03:27But this is not the time to sit and crib about FIFA's decision.

03:30As Baichung said,

03:32It's a great opportunity to get our system right.

03:37And it's very important that all the stakeholders, the federation, state associations, sports ministry,

03:42to come together, get the system right and everybody work for betterment of the nation.

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