Supreme Court's order final opportunity for AIFF to deliver effective governance

AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey (PTI Photo)

It is a welcome day for Indian football. With the Supreme Court of India delivering a definitive order, we now have clarity that was lacking for a good few years. First and foremost, there will be no election in the next few months. The current committee led by Kalyan Chaubey has been allowed to complete their term and hence the elections will only take place next year. This means there is no further chance of a FIFA ban as there is no longer the question of third party intervention looming on the horizon.

The verdict allows the current dispensation to formalise and finalise the constitution by the October 30, a deadline set by FIFA and AFC. It also clears every deck for the football season to commence and now one can say with certainty that the Super Cup, ISL and every other tournament will take place for the current season. For players, it is a hugely welcome thing. The uncertainty can’t be good for them and this order has cleared it all.

Also Read | Sport is cruel and Neeraj Chopra is human

Coming to the AIFF, this order is an opportunity. The current dispensation has been mired by controversy in the last few years and at no point have they not opened themselves up for questioning. This should come as a relief for each one of them. More importantly this is their final chance to get the house in order and govern Indian football with transparency and efficiency.

Governance is the key issue here and unless they do a good job, they will all have to relinquish office a year from now when the elections take place. So while they rejoice at the order, it should also be a wake up call. It is their final chance to bring the sport back on track.

Everything related to football has been negative the past few years and when results have finally started to show with our women and the men doing reasonably well, the CAFA cup is a case in point, the AIFF can’t mess it up anymore.

Also Read | Old shoes, new goals: Delhi to get India’s first recycled-footwear football field

The Supreme Court has done its job. They have set the template. But now it is on the powers who are in control to deliver on the order and do something worthwhile for the sport. Can they do that will determine the future of Indian football. What this order will also do is stop people from running to the court at the drop of a hat and destabilising the governance of the sport. It had become a practice in India and for the longest time there was no deterrence. With this order, all of this should now come to a stop.

The AIFF has already held a press conference with all the four national coaches and each one of them expressed satisfaction and said that they can now focus on the job at hand and that is to improve the teams performance. That’s what we need to see in the coming few months when the players take centerstage once more, moving away from the courts and the AIFF.

In sum, it is a welcome order. It is also a final opportunity for the AIFF. Get your house in order and run the game well.