All India Football Federation president Praful Patel gulps down Supreme Court’s decision

New Delhi, May 20

Thrown out of office by the Supreme Court after exceeding his tenure as All India Football Federation (AIFF) president, Praful Patel today accepted the order, saying it has brought a “finality to a long pending issue”.

Patel’s reign at the helm of the AIFF came to an unceremonious end after the country’s apex court on Wednesday constituted a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) to run the day-to-day affairs of the national federation.

The SC named a panel headed by Justice (Retd) AR Dave with SY Qureshi, former Chief Election Commissioner, and Bhaskar Ganguly, former captain of the Indian football team, as members.

“I thank the honourable Supreme Court for bringing finality to a long pending issue since 2017. I wish the CoA all the very best, and request them to fulfil their responsibilities of providing a new Constitution compliant with the National Sports Code,” Patel said.