Indian football is going through uncertain times. Matters are in court and clubs don’t know the future of the ISL. Footballers are unsure of the future and things aren’t great. Can the Sports Bill, which has now been passed by both houses of Parliament and will soon become an Act, help things going forward? How will the Sports Act benefit Indian sport? How will it benefit football more specifically?
Kalyan Chaubey, President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), sat down for an exclusive conversation with Boria Majumdar for Moneycontrol to discuss in detail the impact of the Act on Indian sport.
Excerpts from the conversation...
Boria: Now that the sports bill is passed and will soon become an Act, how do you see it? When I look at your sport, I see that the sports tribunal for example can have a major impact.
Kalyan: You are right. There are more than 350 cases in courts across India and across all sports. And here I am speaking about all the 33 different Olympic sports. How does sport work? How do athletes benefit? Most of these sports get money from the government to run their operations, or from sponsors and corporates. The pot of money is finite. If a large chunk of money is spent in fighting legal cases across the country, the athlete suffers in the end. You know it well enough that at the drop of a hat a person now goes to court and gets a stay order. Such things have harmed Indian sport and with the passing of the Sports Act, things should improve significantly.
Boria: While you mention the financial aspect, I will mention the issue of time. Take your own sport. The matter is in front of the apex court of the land. Now the SC also has other more pressing concerns in front of it and the judicial system is overburdened. If we have a sports tribunal all the cases that you have in football can get a speedier resolution. Isn’t that as important?
Kalyan: Absolutely is. There is no debate on this matter at all. We need to find a solution and figure out the way forward. We need the sport to move on and for the players to benefit. We can’t afford things coming to a standstill so you are very right in saying that the tribunal will help a great deal in streamlining things and will help us in seeking faster solutions to most of these cases that are pending in the courts.
Boria: What’s your take on the age and tenure clauses getting changed. For example the 70 year age cap can now be 75 depending on international federation statutes. Also the cooling off thing has changed or will change and can benefit administrators.
Kalyan: I support these changes for I think they help in continuity. Take the case of Olympic Council of Asia. You have an Indian at the helm of the OCA in Raja Randhir Singh. Now these things don’t happen when you are 40 or 50. You have to be in sport for 30-40 years to get to these positions. Does the presence of an Indian at the helm of the OCA help us or not? Of course does. It should be about merit and these changes will help in continuity and in turn help Indian sport. If someone is doing a good job, why do you want him removed? We are planning to host the Olympics in 2036, something our honourable PM is keen on, and for that you need experience on ground.
Boria: Finally, do you think the Sports Act can benefit your sport- football?
Kalyan: Yes it should and it will. For all of what we have discussed above I am confident it will. We will also seek legal advice if our cases which are already pending can now get impacted by the passing of the Act. Will the sports tribunal become relevant? I am confident the Sports Act will benefit every sport and help in improving governance and transparency.
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