The Indian Federation has been suspended by Fifa and it is all the football of this immense country which will suffer from it, in particular the footballers who counted on the World Cup for under 17 years to afford media exposure.
Fifa Council Bureau on Monday suspended Indian Football Federation (AIFF) “with immediate effect for reason of undue influence of third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the statutes of Fifa”, according to a press release. In question, political interference in the functioning of the federation, banned by Fifa.
This suspension had an immediate and very concrete effect in this country where football remains a secondary sport behind cricket king: the Women’s Under-17 World Cup, which was to take place in India from October 11 to 30, will finally not place. It was to be the first Fifa tournament to take place in India since 2017.
Gokuam Kerala FC barred from competing
The sanction also coincides with the start of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Club Championship, for which the players of Indian national championship winners Gokulam Kerala FC had qualified for the first time.
“We have worked very hard over the last two months and all the players were preparing to win the AFC trophy”regretted Ashalati Devi, captain of the team and the Indian selection, questioned by India News.
“Winning the title remains a dream for us”Devi explained, describing the team as “Upset by it all. »
In a statement, the club lamented being prevented from competing “without us being responsible for it. »
According to Lavanya Verma, who almost made it to the national team, “The main reason for this suspension lies in bad governance (of the AIFF), but the rest of us are innocent players… And we have to suffer (from the situation). »
– Lack of sponsors –
The women’s national team is ranked 58th in the world, a modest but much better ranking than the men’s team (104th), and the Gokulam players last year became the first Indian team to qualify for a competition of the AFC.
National referee Rachana Kamani thinks that the suspension decided by FIFA could put the future of this sport in danger, and make it less attractive.
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The future of women’s football threatened in India
“With this ban […] the desire of women to play (soccer) could decrease because they will not see a future in this sport”she told AFP.
The AIFF is plagued with governance problems, after its former leader Praful Patel remained in office beyond his term without holding fresh elections.
Women’s football in India was already facing a lack of resources and this suspension is expected to increase financial pressure, says Jamshed Chenoy, who leads a team in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad.
“The level of support for women’s football in terms of sponsors will take a hit”he told AFP.