AIFF Disciplinary Code 2024: Overview of New Amendments

On July 20, the Executive Committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) approved a few notable amendments to the AIFF Disciplinary Code.

The new amendments introduce a table prescribing the applicable fines for expulsions under Article 49 and team misconduct under Article 54 of the Code. This list of specific disciplinary measures is contained in Annexure 1 of the Code. The fines specified depend on the tournament; for instance, a fine of INR 2 lakh would apply for team misconduct at the Indian Super League. It is clarified that the list of disciplinary measures included in the Annexure is neither exhaustive nor binding.

Further, the latest edition of the Code has widened the specific jurisdiction of the AIFF Disciplinary Committee. This is done vide amendment to Article 74.1.1. Consequently, the AIFF Disciplinary Committee is not only responsible for sanctioning serious infringements which escaped the Match Officials’ attention but also “in case the Match Official was unable to sanction due to an earlier expulsion or any other technical reasons as reported by any of the Match Official.”

The other changes pertain to the proposal of sanction by the Secretariat, the removal of the distinction between first and repeat offences in imposing a penalty for non-compliance with the final deadline, etc.