The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to submit a proposal to the Sports ministry to rename the body to Football Federation of Bharat (FFB) on Saturday. The proposal was accepted in the body's Special General Body meeting in New Delhi. However, the process is not straightforward. If the ministry approves it, then the proposal will be brought to the general body, and then to FIFA. "If the ministry does not approve, or if they have any other opinion, then there is no question. We need several approvals, FIFA's approval, the ministry's approval, but then you have to start from somewhere. So it is a start," he told reporters.
This comes at a time where debate over India's absence in the ongoing FIFA World Cup has intensified on social media. Amidst this proposal, there is criticism on the body for not looking at the actual issues pertaining, in terms of building a strong grass root system. At present, the Blue tigers are ranked 138 in the FIFA men's rankings. India also failed to qualify to the AFC Asian Cup in 2027. The senior men's national team only has the qualifier matches for the 2031 edition.
Nat'l Anthem & song before kick-off
Other accepted proposals were that the National Anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana', and the National Song, 'Vande Mataram', be played before the start of all matches conducted under the AIFF's aegis.
If this proposal goes ahead, a combined timing of four minutes and two seconds (52 seconds for Nat'l anthem & 3 mins 10 seconds for Nat'l song) will be kept before kick-off.
ISL from Sep 4
After a period of uncertainty, the Indian Super League is set to begin on September 4 as a full-fledged, seven-month league with 13 teams playing the home-away format. The annual calendar of the AIFF was passed and the schedule will be decided by the managing committee. However, a decision over the structure of the league is yet to be taken, as the managing committee of the AIFF — made up of five ISL club representatives, three officials and three from commercial partners — will discuss with other clubs.
Last month, a proposal by clubs to run the league for the two years was accepted "in principle" after meeting with union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya. "The proposal has come from the clubs. And it's a proposal which has to be discussed across the table. The clubs will have to be party to the discussion. So, the AIFF will discuss with the clubs," Chaubey added.
Meanwhile, The AIFF also approved a proposal allowing clubs and the Indian Football League (IFL) to field a starting eleven comprising three foreign players and one Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) player. It further proposed that one Indian striker must remain on the field for the entire duration of a match to ensure greater playing opportunities for domestic forwards.
