FIFA suspends the All India Football Federation for ‘third-party interference.’

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been suspended with immediate effect by FIFA owing to “undue influence from third parties,” the governing body announced Monday.

The suspension also means that the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to take place in India from October 11 to 30, would be canceled.

The Supreme Court of India disbanded the AIFF in May, and a three-member committee was created to rule the sport, modify the AIFF’s constitution, and hold elections that had been delayed for 18 months.

In response, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation dispatched a team led by AFC general secretary Windsor John to meet with Indian football stakeholders and lay out a timeline for the AIFF to alter its constitution by the end of July and have elections by September 15.

“The suspension will be lifted if an order to establish a committee of administrators to assume the powers of the AIFF Executive Committee is revoked and the AIFF administration regains full control of the AIFF’s daily business,” FIFA stated in a statement released on Monday.

Earlier this month, an Indian court ordered that elections be held as soon as possible and that the elected committee serve as an interim body for three months.

The AIFF elections, which were previously led by FIFA Council member Praful Patel, were scheduled for December 2020 but were postponed due to a stalemate over constitutional reforms.

FIFA laws require member federations to be free of legal and political intervention in their individual countries. Other national associations have previously been suspended by FIFA for similar reasons.