FIFA

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Context: Late on August 15, world football’s governing body FIFA suspended the All India Football Federation (AIFF) indefinitely for “undue interference by a third party” in the process to finalise a new constitution and elect office-bearers.

About:

• FIFA or the Federation Internationale de Football Association is the highest governing body of football in the world.
• It is the international governing body of association football, futsal, and beach soccer.
• FIFA is a non-profit organisation.
• Founded in 1904, FIFA was launched to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
• FIFA now comprises 211 member nations.
• These national associations must each also be members of one of the six regional confederations into which the world is divided: Africa, Asia, Europe, North & Central America and the Caribbean, Oceania and South America.
• It is headquartered in Zurich.
• It is affiliated with the International Olympic Committee and is also a member of the International Football Association Board, which is responsible for setting the rules of football.

What is AIFF?

• The All-India Football Federation (AIFF) is the organization that manages the game of association football in India.
• The AIFF was founded in 1937, and gained FIFA affiliation in the year 1948, after India's independence in 1947.
• Currently, it has an office in Dwarka, New Delhi. India was one of the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation in 1954.

Why Did FIFA Ban the All-India Football Federation (AIFF)?

• President Praful Patel, also a FIFA council member, refused to relinquish his post as the head of football in the country.
• Despite the growing concerns about the working of AIFF, the Supreme Court of India intervened and removed Patel from his post.
• Further, The SC also appointed a Committee of Administrators (COA) to run the AIFF.
• As per FIFA Statutes, member federations should not be subject to legal and political interference in their respective countries.
• According to FIFA, to lift the ban on AIFF, it needs to follow the directives which are as follows:
• The mandates of the COA would have to be repealed in full.
• The AIFF administration would need to be completely in charge of its day-to-day running once again.
• The AIFF constitution is to be revised on the terms of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) policies, and the election is to be held on current AIFF membership structures that are based on state associations only.

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