The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday firmly denied claims that it had written to FIFA seeking approval for its newly amended constitution, which was cleared by the Supreme Court last week. The clarification came after a media report suggested otherwise, drawing concern from the bench.
Appearing before Justices PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar, senior advocate Ranjit Kumar said, &ldquo;Everything, according to the judgment of this court, will happen.&rdquo; He clarified that while AIFF may have had exchanges with FIFA on unrelated issues, there was no communication regarding the court&rsquo;s directions.
The court had approved the AIFF&rsquo;s draft constitution on September 19, directing the federation to call a general body meeting within four weeks to formally adopt it. AIFF confirmed that the draft has already been circulated to its members, adding that the adoption process is on track.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, serving as amicus curiae, told the bench that he accepted AIFF&rsquo;s denial and trusted that no such letter to FIFA had been written.
The matter, however, highlighted a broader concern raised by advocate Rahul Mehra, who has long campaigned to bring the AIFF in line with the National Sports Code. Mehra objected to the practice of national sports federations invoking letters from international bodies like FIFA to undermine domestic court rulings.
In its order last week, the Supreme Court went beyond football governance to stress a principle of wider relevance. It underscored that sporting facilities and opportunities should be treated as &ldquo;material resources of the community&rdquo;, and that their administration must be marked by efficiency, professionalism and integrity. The court said these institutions must remain accessible to all and not concentrated in the hands of the &ldquo;urban economic elite.&rdquo;
The bench also rejected suggestions to reduce the strength of 15 eminent players mandated for AIFF&rsquo;s general body, though it tweaked the criteria for their eligibility. &ldquo;The freedom of choice to form an association is not in any way compromised by the requirement to incorporate 15 eminent players,&rdquo; the court said, reinforcing its view that players must be integral to the governance of sport in India.
By reiterating that adoption of the constitution must happen within weeks, the court made clear that sports federations cannot bypass judicial directions. For AIFF, this is a defining moment: not just to implement structural reforms but to signal accountability in a space that has too often been marked by opacity.

AIFF Denies FIFA Letter, Vows to Adopt Court-Cleared Constitution

Supreme Court cautions AIFF, stresses transparency as federation readies to adopt charter

AIFF Denies FIFA Letter, Vows to Adopt Court-Clear

Supreme Court cautions AIFF, stresses transparency as federation readies to adopt charter

September 24, 2025 | 13:26 IST