The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has reached out to both the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to allow ATK Mohun Bagan and Sree Gokulam Kerala FC to compete in their scheduled tournaments.
Before FIFA suspended All India Football Federation (AIFF), Sree Gokulam Kerala FC had already reached Uzbekistan, ahead of its scheduled matches against a team from Iran on August 23 and one from the host nation on August 26 in the southern Uzbekistan city of Qarshi, while ATK Mohun Bagan is slated to play the AFC Cup 2022 (Inter-Zone semi-finals) on September 7 in Bahrain.
The ministry in its plea said that Sree Gokulam Kerala FC was already in Uzbekistan when FIFA’s suspension of AIFF was announced. It has requested FIFA and AFC to therefore allow the team to play in the interest of young players.
It has also reached out to the Indian embassy in Uzbekistan for assistance. The ministry is also in constant touch with Gokulam team’s management.
“The Bureau (FIFA Council) had on August 14, 2022 decided to suspend the AIFF with immediate effect due to flagrant violations of the FIFA statutes,” FIFA said in an email letter dated August 15, 2022 signed by its secretary Fatma Samoura.
FIFA suspended India for “undue influence from third parties” and said the U-17 Women’s World Cup “Cannot be held currently in India as planned.”
India was scheduled to host its first FIFA event between October 11 and 30.