The All India Football Federation (AIFF) Executive Committee will be elected following the termination of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), as demanded by the international football federation (FIFA), on Wednesday. Only representatives of the member associations representing the States/Union Territories are eligible to vote in this election.
The voters’ list for the next elections will only include representatives of the member associations representing the States/Union Territories, the returning officer stated in a statement on Wednesday.
The Supreme Court had ruled on Monday that the Executive Council (EC) of the AIFF shall be composed of 23 people: 17 members (including the president, treasurer, and vice-president) to be chosen by the electoral college made up of 35 associations representing states and union territories, and six members to be chosen from eminent players, consisting of four men and two women.
After the Supreme Court’s ruling, Umesh Sharma, the returning officer, declared that the election would take place on September 2 at the AIFF headquarters in Delhi and that the results would be made public on September 2 or 3.
According to the returning officer, nominations for the positions may be submitted from August 25 to 27; however, the scrutiny will take place on August 28.
On August 29, contenders will have the opportunity to withdraw their nominations, and on August 30, the returning officer will compile the final list of contestants and post it on the AIFF website.
The CoA’s authority to run the AIFF’s operations was revoked by the Supreme Court on Monday, and the election that was originally slated for August 28 was also postponed by one week.
The top court had stated that it is changing its earlier rulings to make it easier for FIFA to lift the suspension placed on the AIFF and for India to host the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022.
A bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and A.S. Bopanna said: “The day-to-day management of the AIFF shall be exclusively looked after by the AIFF administration led by the Acting Secretary General. The mandate of the Committee of Administrators appointed by the order of this court stands terminated.”
The top court, in its order, said: “Time for the completion of the elections which were scheduled to take place on August 28, 2022 shall stand extended by a period of one week. The Returning Officers shall, within the said period, refix the modalities for the filing of nominations from the stage which was reached on August 13, 2022 and ensure that the elections are completed on schedule.”
It stated that Umesh Sinha and Tapas Bhattacharya, the returning officers (ROs) selected by it for the purpose of holding the elections, should be assumed to be the ROs designated by it, observing that none of the competing parties had raised an objection to their continuation before it.
(Inputs from IANS)