New Delhi: When a requirement of the international football federation (FIFA) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is alive that an executive committee is needed to host the Under-17 Women's World Cup, the Supreme Court has directed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to form the same, IANS reported.
The elected executive committee is also necessary for the national football team to play in FIFA and AFC events.
The top court passed the order adding two observations. The first one is to include eminent footballers in the AIFF management by directing the general body to be formed by 36 state association members and 36 players, both male and female, and secondly that the elections should be held in accordance with the National Sports Code and Article 26 of the draft constitution, which provides for a fixed tenure and age limit of the office-bearers.
This has opened an opportunity for contesting in the elections for former players Kalyan Chaubey, Bhaichung Bhutia, IM Vijayan, as well as administrators like Saji Prabhakaran of Delhi Football Association, Manvendra Singh of Rajasthan Football Association, NA. Haris of Karnataka State Football Association.
Kalyan Chaubey, a party in the case, welcomed the court order. He said that he had been fighting for the cause of footballers for a long and now his views have been vindicated.
Chaubey, the former Indian goalkeeper, told IANS on Friday, "What I had asked is that if a former footballer wants to contest the elections, he should be given a chance even if he doesn't fulfil the above criterion. This is because it is football for whose benefit this committee is there, and a former footballer can be a part of it."
However, Prabhakaran, president of the Delhi Football Association, responded lukewarmly. He told IANS, "At the moment, I do not have the Supreme Court order in my hand, hence I don't want to make any comment."
Manvendra Singh, president of Rajasthan Football Association, said, "What is important is we stay together and take the football of the country back to its glory days of the 1960s. I also want to say that good people should run the federation, whether they are eminent players or good administrators."