Supreme Court to hear AIFF’s plea seeking changes in Draft Constitution over FIFA Statute concerns

The Supreme Court will hear on Friday the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) plea seeking changes in its draft constitution after the national body flagged two provisions that could breach FIFA’s independence rules and risk potential sanctions.

The AIFF, represented by senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, approached the court ahead of its General Body meeting scheduled for Sunday, where the draft constitution is to be adopted.

A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar agreed to list the matter for hearing, directing copies of the AIFF’s submissions to be shared with amicus curiae Gopal Sankaranarayanan and advocate Samar Bansal.

The federation’s objections concern a clause requiring court approval for any constitutional amendment and another prohibiting AIFF members from holding posts in state associations simultaneously. According to AIFF, these provisions contradict Article 19 of the FIFA Statutes, which mandates member associations to operate independently without external interference.

The AIFF submission also cited Justice L. Nageswara Rao’s recommendations, noting that neither of the contested provisions was part of his draft. The federation argued that restricting dual roles between national and state bodies would disrupt coordination and weaken administrative efficiency within Indian football’s governance structure.

The issue arises weeks after the Supreme Court approved the draft AIFF Constitution on September 19, with adoption scheduled for October 12.