AIFF approves revised Constitution in line with National Sports Governance Act

The AIFF General Body approved a revised Constitution aligned with the National Sports Governance Act, cleared the formation of an election panel, fixed September 4 as the ISL kick-off date and endorsed several governance, registration and competition-related reforms

Hyderabad: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) conducted its Special General Body Meeting (SGBM) virtually on Saturday, June 20, 2026, to deliberate on and adopt the Federation’s revised Constitution in accordance with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

The meeting was attended by members of the AIFF Executive Committee, representatives of the member associations, and officials from FIFA and AFC.

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The General Body unanimously approved the revised AIFF Constitution, bringing it in line with the provisions of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

The revised Constitution had been prepared following the adoption of the NSGA 2025 at the Special General Body Meeting held on May 23, 2026, in Kolkata. The General Body deliberated on feedback received from the member associations, and the final draft of the AIFF Constitution will now include the points adopted by the AIFF General Body.

The General Body further approved the creation of the AIFF Election Panel and resolved to appoint members to its roster in consultation with the member associations. The AIFF Election Commission Panel, at the time of its constitution, shall include Shri Sunil Arora, former Chief Election Commissioner of India (Retd IAS), Dr Vivek Gogia, former Director General of Police, Delhi, and Inspector General of Police, Goa, and Shri Surinder Singh Gurm, a retired officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The members of the AIFF Election Panel shall provide oversight and guidance for the conduct of elections to the executive committees of AIFF’s member associations in compliance with applicable laws.

It also designated September 4, 2026, as the kick-off date for the Indian Super League 2026-27. The annual calendar for the 2026-27 season was also approved.

It was further resolved that a proposal be submitted to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) for renaming the All India Football Federation (AIFF) as the Football Federation of Bharat (FFB).

It was also decided that the National Anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’, and the National Song, ‘Vande Mataram’, shall be played before the commencement of all football matches conducted under the aegis of the AIFF.

It was further proposed and approved that, in the Indian Super League (ISL) and the Indian Football League (IFL), clubs may field a starting eleven comprising three foreign players and one OCI player. Additionally, to ensure adequate match exposure and development opportunities for Indian forwards, one Indian striker must remain on the field for the entire 90 minutes of the match.

The AIFF has proposed amendments to the Disciplinary Code, including revised fines for abusive language by officials, stronger anti-discrimination measures in line with FIFA’s three-step procedure, enhanced provisions for spectator misconduct, and updated appeal fees, which have been approved by the General Body.

Approval was also given for the 2027-28 season dates (June 1, 2027 to May 31, 2028) and player registration windows, as required for advance updating on FIFA TMS. Amateur player registrations will remain open throughout the season.

Other approvals by the General Body include: AIFF academies/teams will be permitted to compete in higher age-group competitions, the tournament registration fee has been reduced from Rs 25,000 to Rs 15,000, CRS profiles will be linked with DigiLocker to ensure verification and prevent duplicate registrations, unpaid player profiles will be automatically deleted after seven days, and a nominal CRS fee of Rs 118 (inclusive of GST) was approved for U12 male players, while the fee waiver for U18 female players will continue until further notice.