Player power, potential for conflict in AIFF draft constitution

India’s top league to be managed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), greater agency for players and a mandatory cooling-off period between three four-year terms for office-bearers find mention in the working draft of the constitution of the AIFF sent to FIFA and states’ representatives early on Wednesday. HT has a copy of the draft prepared by the Committee of Administrators now running AIFF following a Supreme Court verdict.

The draft has possibilities for conflict with state associations and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which runs Indian Super League, India’s top tier competition.

“Seniormost top division league shall mean the league competition owned, operated, recognised and directly managed by AIFF…function/roles cannot be assigned to any other entity or organisation,” according to the draft.

This could contravene the master rights agreement between AIFF and FSDL that is valid till 2025. Till press time, FSDL could not be reached for a comment.

The proposal that full members of the AIFF (there are 36) be allowed two representatives in the federation’s general body too has a possibility for conflict. One will be nominated “from its executive committee” and the other will be an “eminent player”, per the draft. Any former international with a minimum of five senior India games, is below 66, and has retired at least two years ago qualifies as an eminent player, according to the draft. States that don’t have any will lose out on a vote and given that it could be nearly 40% of AIFF’s affiliates, they might not accept this.

Dividing the AIFF into five zones including one for north-east states, the draft has also pared down the executive committee from 20, including three nominated, to 12 members. According to the proposed constitution, five eminent players, including two women, will be part of the executive committee along with a representative from each zone. Together with the president and treasurer, they will comprise the executive committee and qualify as AIFF office-bearers.

Any office-bearer or general body member or their family members cannot have had a professional contract with AIFF in two years prior to seeking a term, according to the draft.

All executive committee members will have to be under 70 and elected from AIFF’s general body with a presidential candidate needing more than 50% of the valid votes to be successful. If there are more than two candidates for presidency, the “Preferential Vote System (as suggested by FIFA)” will be used. That is: with every voting round, the candidate with least votes will be eliminated before one polls over 50% votes. Elections to all other posts will be according to the ‘first past the post’ system, the draft states.

The president can hold office for 12 consecutive years, or a maximum of three four-year terms. Barring eminent players, the elected members can stay in office for two consecutive terms and have a four-year cooling-off before returning for another term.

“During the cooling off period such an office-bearer shall not be a member of the General Body (sic) or of any committee whatsoever of the AIFF or of a state association.” States may argue against this too as it would make it difficult for office-bearers to return to state/AIFF administration after four years.

According to the draft, AIFF office-bearers who have already served 12 years will not be eligible, another potential pain point for states who, according to sources, had sought a fresh start. While the draft allows an office-bearer to serve a state for 12 years and the AIFF for another 12, it does not allow holding a post simultaneously in the state “or any other federation.” The draft also bars titular designations such as “Life President”, “Chief Patron”, “Chairman” or “Director”.

The draft allows for a government or public sector undertaking or a private entity involved in promoting the game to be an associate member of AIFF. This could open participation of PSUs in Santosh Trophy and encourage employment of more footballers. Units of the associate member can also take part in competitions “open only to the Full/Provisional Member Associations where they are stationed so that the Players can participate in the Competitions open only to the Clubs affiliated to that Full/Provisional Member Association,” according to the draft.