The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday held its Special General Body Meeting (SGBM) virtually to deliberate on and adopt the revised Constitution of the federation in accordance with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.
During the meeting, which was attended by members of the AIFF Executive Committee, representatives of its member associations and officials of FIFA and AFC, the revised AIFF Constitution was approved.
According to an AIFF press release, the revised constitution was drafted after the adoption of the NSGA, 2025, at a special general meeting in Calcutta on May 23.
The NSGA, 2025, which was passed by Parliament last year, provides a governance framework for national sports federations, including provisions related to governance, transparency, elections and dispute resolution.
The General Body further approved the establishment of the AIFF Election Panel and decided to appoint members to the list of the AIFF Election Panel in consultation with the affiliated associations.
The panel, when constituted, will consist of former Chief Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora, former Director General of Police of Delhi and Goa Inspector General of Police Vivek Gogia, and retired Central Bureau of Investigation official Surinder Singh Gurm.
Key decisions: ISL start date, renaming of the federation and more
The GBM has also designated September 4, 2026 as the start date for the Indian Super League 2026-2027. The annual calendar for the 2026-2027 season was also approved.
It was further decided that a proposal would be submitted to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) to rename 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’ will be played before the start of all football matches under the aegis of AIFF.
It is further proposed and approved that clubs in the Indian Super League (ISL) and the Indian Football League (IFL) may field a starting XI consisting of three foreign players and one OCI player. In addition, to ensure adequate match exposure and development opportunities for Indian strikers, one Indian striker must remain on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes of the match.
AIFF has proposed changes to the disciplinary code, including revised fines for abusive language by officials, stricter anti-discrimination measures in line with FIFA’s three-step procedure, improved provisions for spectator misconduct and updated professional fees, which have been approved by the General Body.
Approval was also given for the 2027-2028 season dates (June 1, 2027 – May 31, 2028) and player registration periods, as required for advance updates on FIFA TMS. Registrations for amateur players remain open throughout the season.
A number of player registration decisions have also been made public.
AIFF Academies/Teams may participate in higher age group competitions. The entry fee for the tournament has been reduced from Rs 25,000 to Rs 15,000. CRS profiles are linked to DigiLocker to ensure verification and prevent duplicate registrations. Unpaid player profiles are automatically deleted after seven days. A nominal CRS allowance of Rs 118 (including GST) has been approved for male U12 players, while the exemption for female U18 players will remain in force until further notice.
Published on June 20, 2026
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