PANAJI: Hours after India celebrated its 75 years of independence, Fifa, the governing body for world football, suspended the All India Football Federation for “undue interference by a third party”, a first since the federation was formed in 1937.
Since May 18, 2022, the AIFF is being run by a three-member committee of administrators (CoA), appointed by the Supreme Court after removing Praful Patel and his executive committee, whose term ended in December 2020. The appointment of CoA is considered third-party interference and goes against Fifa statutes that asks all countries to “manage its affairs independently.”
The suspension means no Indian team, club or country, can play international matches.
