In a letter to the Acting Secretary General, AIFF, FIFA-AFC referred to the clause ‘Presence of Eminent Players (Article 1.18 and Article 20.2)’ in the General Body (Congress) of the AIFF.
“According to the draft shared with us, the AIFF Congress will have an additional 35 eminent players from 35 member associations. While we agree that the voices of the players need to be heard, we also believe that the importance of the existing members of the AIFF should be undermined. should not be judged,” FIFA-AFC said.
FIFA-AFC also said that bringing 35 eminent players into the governing body of the AIFF would not be a “prudent idea” as it could change the membership structure, adding that instead of 50 per cent, the attendance of 25 per cent eminent players is AIFF. It would be a good idea to start as co-opted members in the executive committee.
“Bringing 50 per cent members into the Congress structure which is at par with the current membership structure is not a prudent idea, and the AIFF should look to be more diverse in the future. However, we understand the requirements of the (National) Sports Code. Recommends the inclusion of more than 25 percent of eminent players from India and AIFF as co-selected members of the AIFF Executive Committee,” wrote FIFA-AFC.
FIFA-AFC also stated that the concerns of local football stakeholders also needed to be addressed that the Supreme Court may establish in its decision that any future amendments to the AIFF constitution would have to be re-validated by the courts.
“We refer to the recent feedback received from local football stakeholders, which has raised concerns that the Supreme Court may also establish in its decision that any future amendments to the AIFF Rules will have to be re-validated by the courts.
“In this regard, we are of the opinion that the AIFF Congress, as the supreme and legislative body of the AIFF, should be empowered to amend the AIFF statutes without requiring courts to validate relevant changes in future. In this context, and For good order, we would like to emphasize that any future changes to the AIFF statute, however, in addition to the national legal framework, must be consistent with the requirements and principles of both FIFA and the AFC,” they wrote in the letter. —IANS