The meeting, which was attended by Members of the AIFF Executive Committee, representatives from the member associations, and officials from FIFA and AFC, saw the revised AIFF constitution being approved and key decisions like the ISL start date and annual calendar fixed. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) conducted its Special General Body Meeting (SGBM) virtually on Saturday to deliberate upon and adopt the Federation’s revised Constitution in accordance with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

The meeting, which was attended by Members of the AIFF Executive Committee, representatives from the member associations, and officials from FIFA and AFC, saw the revised AIFF constitution being approved.

According to an AIFF release, the revised Constitution was prepared following the adoption of the NSGA, 2025, at a Special General Body Meeting in Kolkata on May 23.

The NSGA, 2025, enacted by Parliament last year, provides a governance framework for National Sports Federations, including provisions relating to administration, transparency, elections and dispute resolution.

The General Body further approved the creation of the AIFF Election Panel and resolved to appoint members to the roster of the AIFF Election Panel in consultation with its member associations.

The panel, when constituted, will comprise former Chief Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora, former Delhi Director General of Police and Goa Inspector General of Police Vivek Gogia, and retired Central Bureau of Investigation officer Surinder Singh Gurm.

Key decisions: ISL start date, renaming of federation and more

The GBM also designated September 4, 2026, as the kick-off date for the Indian Super League 2026-27. The annual calendar for the 2026-27 season was also approved.

It was further resolved that a proposal be submitted to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) for renaming 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’ shall be played before the commencement of all football matches conducted under the aegis of AIFF.

It is further proposed and approved that, in the Indian Super League (ISL) and the Indian Football League (IFL), clubs may field a starting eleven comprising three foreign players and one OCI player. Additionally, to ensure adequate match exposure and development opportunities for Indian forwards, one Indian striker must remain on the field for the entire 90 minutes of the match.

AIFF has proposed amendments to the Disciplinary Code, including revised fines for abusive language by officials, stronger anti-discrimination measures in line with FIFA’s three-step procedure, enhanced provisions for spectator misconduct, and updated appeal fees, which have been approved by the General Body

Also, approval was given for the 2027–28 season dates (June 1, 2027 – May 31, 2028) and player registration windows, as required for advance updating on FIFA TMS. Amateur player registrations will remain open throughout the season.

A number of player registration decisions were also made public.

AIFF Academies/Teams will be permitted to compete in higher age-group competitions. Tournament registration fee has been reduced from Rs 25,000 to Rs 15,000. CRS profiles will be linked with DigiLocker to ensure verification and prevent duplicate registrations and unpaid player profiles will be automatically deleted after seven days. A nominal CRS fee of Rs 118 (inclusive of GST) was approved for U12 male players, while the fee waiver for U18 female players will continue until further notice.

Published on Jun 20, 2026