Supreme Court sets April 22 as date of final hearing in AIFF draft constitution case

The AIFF Draft constitution case has been pending in the apex court for a while.

The hearings on arguments surrounding changes in establishing a draft constitution for the All India Football Federation (AIFF) were taken up by the Supreme Court of India on April 16. The apex court heard arguments from senior advocate Neeraj Kaul, representing the Football Sports Development League (FSDL).

An SC bench consisting of Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi heard all the arguments before setting a fresh hearing date on April 22. This hearing is going to be the final hearing of arguments in the draft constitution proceedings, as Indian football fans sense a resolution in the coming weeks.

The WIFA has called for fresh elections in the AIFF

In a surprising development, the Western Indian Football Association (WIFA) has called for fresh elections of the AIFF. They have argued for the fresh elections to be conducted under the supervision of the FIFA Normalisation Committee, which has long held FIFA’s powers of intervention in its member associations’ governance.

While these powers are exercised by imposing “normalisation committees” on member associations that FIFA determines are not complying with the FIFA Statutes. The WIFA’s request comes at a crucial time when fresh elections might be required.

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FSDL reiterates ultimate ownership of the ISL rests with AIFF

The hearing also witnessed senior advocate Kaul sharing that the FSDL has always accepted that the ultimate ownership rights of the Indian Super League (ISL) vests with the AIFF.The league is presently jointly run by the Indian football’s apex body with the FSDL.

The present draft constitution gives AIFF control over all aspects of a league, including its organisation and operations. However, the senior advocate shared that the FSDL was proposing that the AIFF constitution should not take away the rights of any third party to independently run the League.

They argued that constant requirement for AIFF’s approval and control in organising and operating a league will lead to operational delays and inefficiencies.

Contention over promotion and relegation rules in the draft constitution

Senior advocate Kaul, representing the FSDL, also pushed for the removal of promotion and relegation from the AIFF’s draft constitution. The advocate also suggested that those responsibilities be handed to the elected AIFF Executive Committee.

The SC bench did take these suggestions and is getting ready to hear the final argument regarding the AIFF draft constitution on April 22. The slow process and explanation of details have complicated things for all parties involved and led to greater frustration in the Indian football community.

As arguments are ending and all objections are being tabled, the hope for the Indian footballing community is that a strong constitution will serve as a guiding light for Indian football in the future.

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