Supreme Court orders AIFF to adopt draft constitution in four weeks, bars fresh elections

The Supreme Court on Friday delivered its much-awaited verdict on the All India Football Federation (AIFF) draft constitution case, bringing an end to years of uncertainty that have hampered Indian football governance.

A bench of Justice Sri Narasimha and Justice A.S. Chandurkar ruled that there will be no fresh elections for the federation at this stage. The existing Executive Committee, headed by AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, has been permitted to serve out its tenure, with the next elections to take place as originally scheduled next year.

The judgment has been hailed as a crucial step in stabilising Indian football administration. Importantly, it also removes the immediate threat of a FIFA ban, which could have been triggered had the court ordered fresh polls. FIFA has repeatedly cautioned against what it considers third-party interference in the affairs of national federations.

AIFF reacts to Supreme Court Verdict

Reacting to the verdict, AIFF Secretary General M. Satyanarayan talked in an exclusive interview with TheBridge:

“It’s a great day for Indian football. I think football in India is the winner, and now we can go ahead and do what the Supreme Court has said and also what FIFA wanted — to get the constitution approved before October 31. I thank all those who have been involved since 2017. More details will emerge once we see the constitution, but we will abide by what the Supreme Court says and what FIFA says. We’ve been given four weeks to get it adopted, and we will do that.”

He also expressed gratitude to all stakeholders who contributed to this long process:

“A word of thanks to all the stakeholders who have been involved in this process over the last seven years — lawyers, sports enthusiasts, clubs, and also the three-member committee of Justice Raveendran, Dr. S.Y. Qureshi, and Bhaskar Ganguly, followed by the seven-member committee of AIFF officials. It’s a very positive day, and now let’s go ahead and implement what the court wants us to do.”

The AIFF draft constitution case has dragged on since 2017, delaying multiple governance decisions and disrupting negotiations with its commercial partner, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) — the body responsible for running the Indian Super League. With the Master Rights Agreement with FSDL due to expire in December, the Supreme Court’s ruling now paves the way for fresh discussions on the deal.

The draft constitution, described as a transformative framework, seeks to introduce structural reforms, enhance transparency, and address long-standing conflict-of-interest issues within the federation and its member associations. FIFA has already set October 30, 2025, as the deadline for finalisation.

Friday’s ruling is widely being seen as a relief for Indian football, clearing administrative bottlenecks and allowing the AIFF to focus on domestic competitions as well as preparations for the national teams in upcoming international assignments.