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In what is seen as a strong boost to his chances of being reinstated, former All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran's removal from his post earlier this year has been stayed by the Delhi High Court. This has put a temporary halt to the governing body's decision.
For those not in the know, the AIFF announced the termination of Mr Prabhakaran's services citing a breach of trust on November 7. The deputy secretary general, M Satyanarayan, assumed the role of acting secretary general following Prabhakaran's removal.
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey pointed to the dissatisfaction within the organisation regarding Mr Prabhakaran's way of working as the key reason behind the latter's termination. It is well known that Mr Chaubey and Mr Prabhakaran did not share a good working relationship.
The Delhi HC's decision on Friday has added a new twist to the incident. This also brings to the fore FIFA's lack of involvement in the matter up till now. It is a known factor that FIFA has historically discouraged external entities from interfering in the governance of football in its member bodies.
In India, FIFA was in the news of late owing to the transfer ban it imposed upon former ISL champions Hyderabad FC for failing to clear the dues of some of their previous players and coaches.
The possibility of a FIFA ban has not been ruled out
A possibility of a ban on AIFF, or India in general, cannot be ruled out given that FIFA has always taken strict action against third-party interference in the governing of football. Up till now, world football's governing body has made no statement.
If FIFA chooses to view the Delhi HC's stay order as external interference, India and the AIFF could be in big trouble and could possibly face a ban.
