The All India Football Federation (AIFF) held its Special General Body Meeting virtually on Saturday, June 20, 2026, and approved its revised Constitution in line with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. The meeting also covered elections, league dates, disciplinary changes and player registration rules.
Members of the AIFF Executive Committee, representatives of member associations, and officials from FIFA and AFC attended the meeting. The General Body had prepared the revised Constitution after the NSGA 2025 was adopted at the Special General Body Meeting in Kolkata on May 23, 2026, and feedback from member associations was included.
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The General Body unanimously approved the revised AIFF Constitution and said the final draft will include
the points adopted by the body. It also approved the creation of the AIFF Election Panel and decided that members will be appointed in consultation with member associations.
The AIFF Election Commission Panel will 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, Retired Officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The panel will oversee elections for Executive Committees of AIFF member associations.
AIFF also set September 4, 2026, as the kick-off date for the Indian Super League 2026-27 and approved the annual calendar for the season. It further agreed to submit a proposal to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) to rename the All India Football Federation as the Football Federation of Bharat.
'Jana Gana Mana' & 'Vande Mataram' To Be Played Before All Football Matches
The General Body decided that the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, and the National Song, Vande Mataram, shall be played before all football matches under AIFF. It also approved a proposal for the Indian Super League and Indian Football League, where clubs may field three foreign players and one OCI player in the starting eleven.
To support Indian forwards, one Indian striker must stay on the field for the full 90 minutes. AIFF also cleared amendments to the Disciplinary Code, including revised fines for abusive language by officials, stronger anti-discrimination rules based on FIFA's three-step procedure, better spectator misconduct rules, and updated appeal fees.
Approval was also given for the 2027-28 season dates and player registration windows for advance updating on FIFA TMS. Amateur player registrations will stay open through the season. AIFF Academies and Teams may enter higher age-group competitions, while the tournament registration fee has been cut from Rs 25,000 to Rs 15,000.
Other decisions include linking CRS profiles with DigiLocker to help verification and stop duplicate registrations, deleting unpaid player profiles after seven days, and setting a nominal CRS fee of Rs 118, inclusive of GST, for U12 male players. The fee waiver for U18 female players will continue until further notice.
