A few days ago, during an informal chat, an official rued that the member associations felt let down by the way the committee of administrators of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) had thumbed down most of their suggestions in the draft constitution.

This was a surprise because on May 18, when Praful Patel was removed as president and the three-member CoA was appointed by the Supreme Court, the state football associations were euphoric. “With Patel gone, Indian football will see a new dawn,” one official had said. The mood changed soon. “Seem to have jumped from the fire to the frying pan,” was the common refrain a few weeks later.

The CoA on Wednesday is likely to tell the Supreme Court that it is ready to do away with the 36 ‘eminent players’ in the electoral college as wished by Fifa and co-opt six players (four men and two women) into the executive committee. The sports ministry also, it has been learnt, will file an affidavit, praying to the court to take an objective view.

That has been what the member associations have been saying from June 11, the day they first met the CoA at Football House in New Delhi. Fifa does not recognise individual voting rights and this was one of the main reasons why the ban has been slapped. In a bid to give voice to the players, India may have lost their face.

That the CoA would stay even after the interim elected body gets to take charge after the August 28 elections did not go down well with Fifa.

The CoA, in a statement on Tuesday, termed the decision unfortunate. “The CoA is surprised that the Fifa decision has come when extensive discussions were going on for the past few days between all stakeholders, including Fifa-AFC, AIFF, CoA, and the Sports Ministry as per the Order of the Supreme Court,” it said in a statement.

“While the CoA was committed to implement the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s Order regarding the elections of the AIFF, passed on August 3, 2022, it was also in constant dialogue with all stakeholders.

“In the discussions held among the Fifa-AFC, AIFF, CoA, and the Sports Ministry in the past few days, it was suggested that the present elections of the AIFF Executive Committee may be conducted with the Electoral College consisting of 36 state representatives.” Anil Ramesh Dave, the CoA chairman, took a dig at the Patel regime too.

“It is really deplorable that for almost the last two years, the body, whose term had already been completed, had continued in an absolutely undemocratic and illegal manner. No action was taken.

“But when the Hon’ble Supreme Court passed an order to set things right... and when the CoA and the Sports Ministry were doing their best for the implementation of the Order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the order of the suspension was passed by Fifa.”