Will hold elections at the earliest: AIFF administrator

KOLKATA: SY Quraishi said election at All India Football Federation (AIFF) would be announced at the earliest. Till he is charge, Quraishi also said he would use his experience as administrator at the archery federation to run AIFF.

“We want the elections to be announced as early as possible and new office-bearers take over so that the development of football doesn’t come to a standstill,” Quraishi told Hindustan Times over the phone from Chandigarh on Wednesday.

It would take around two months for the AIFF to complete the electoral process.

The former chief election commissioner said he would join “in a day or two.” Before chalking out the electoral procedure, he would examine all those eligible to vote and cross-check if there is any dispute at the state level.

“It has been over a month that I have been appointed administrator of the Archery Association of India. That experience will also help me to handle the affairs of the All India Football Federation,” said Quraishi, appointed administrator at AIFF on Tuesday.

One day the Delhi High Court order that set aside the officebearers’ election, the AIFF was waiting for a copy of the order. And Fifa said it was waiting for the AIFF to communicate.

“FIFA is awaiting an official communication from the AIFF concerning the said matter. We have no further comment for the time being,” said a spokesperson over e-mail on Wednesday.

This was in response to a question from Hindustan Times on Tuesday whether the court order could be construed as interference in the running of the AIFF by the world body.

The AIFF will decide on its next course of action in consultation with its lawyers, said general secretary Kushal Das over the phone from New Delhi on Wednesday. It is possible that AIFF would challenge the order.

“The same court that allowed the elections has now set it aside. Till we get the order, we would only be speculating. But if it was about getting five permanent members to propose a candidate, well, it is followed by Fifa and AFC (Asian Football Confederation),” said an AIFF office-bearer.

“If, for the sake of argument, we say FIFA has many more members and hence has the five-proposer rule, the AFC has 47 member associations (including Kuwait which is now suspended), only 10 more than AIFF, and still needs five,” the office-bearer said.