MUMBAI (Reuters) - World governing body FIFA has told India's football association to complete changes to its constitution and elect new office bearers by Sept. 15 to avoid being banned, officials said.
India's highest court disbanded the All India Football Federation executive committee last month after it failed to hold elections on time and amend its regulations in line with rules stipulated by the national sports code.
FIFA statutes say that member federations must be free from legal and political interference in their respective countries and the world governing body has previously suspended other national associations over similar cases. "The meetings concluded that the next steps should be the ratification of the AIFF statutes in line with FIFA/AFC principles of good governance and the holding of an electoral congress to choose the next AIFF leadership," the AFC said in a statement.Shaji Prabhakaran, chief of the Delhi FA and former FIFA regional development officer, said on Twitter the AIFF had been given a deadline of July 31 to amend its statutes and Sept. 15 to conclude its election.