File picture of Kalyan Chaubey, president, All India Football Federation
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 18, 2025) directed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to convene a general body meeting within four weeks to adopt its draft Constitution with certain modifications, while ruling out fresh elections for the body.
The existing Executive Committee, headed by Kalyan Chaubey, has been allowed to complete its tenure, with polls scheduled for next year as planned.
The draft Constitution is substantially in consonance with the provisions of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, which is yet to be notified.
The draft constitution of the AIFF, prepared by former judge L. Nageswara Rao, proposes sweeping reforms. It introduces a lifetime cap of 12 years for office-bearers, allowing up to two consecutive four-year terms. After eight years in office, a four-year cooling-off period would be mandatory. The draft also sets an upper age limit of 70.
FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had written to AIFF, threatening a potential suspension if its constitution was not formally ratified by October 30.
Earlier this month, the Court had taken a decisive step to break the governance deadlock in Indian football by directing the AIFF to ensure the timely commencement of the 2025–26 football season, including the Super Cup and other domestic competitions.
The court had endorsed a joint proposal submitted by the AIFF and its commercial partner, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL). As per the plan, the 2025–26 season will commence with a pre-season camp and the Super Cup, followed by the Indian Super League (ISL), which is expected to start in December 2025.
Published – September 19, 2025 11:22 am IST
