Gokulam Kerala FC wants Prime Minister Modi to intervene in FIFA ban

Mumbai: The national teams will not be able to compete on the international level as a result of FIFA's ban on the All India Football Federation. However, it also meant that Indian clubs, including Gokulam Kerala FC's women's team in the AFC Women's Club Championship, would be unable to compete in those events.

The club has since sent a letter to the Prime Minister's office asking for assistance in lifting the embargo and allowing them to compete in Asia's top club championship.

The 23-member Gokulam Kerala FC team travelled to Iran to play Bam Khatoon FC on August 26 but has since been grounded in Uzbekistan's capital as a result of the ban.

“Our team reached Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from Kozhikode during the early hours of 16th of August 2022,” wrote Ashok Kumar, the Gokulam Kerala FC CEO. “On arrival, we heard through various media outlets that FIFA has banned AIFF (All India Football Federation) and the clubs are therefore no longer entitled to take part in the international competition until the suspension is lifted.”

“In the light of the above, we request PMOs good officers to intervene in this matter and make all efforts to revoke FIFA ban and include us back in the AFC Women’s Club Championship as the champion club of India.”

“Our Prime Minister’s dream is to make India a Super Power and become number 1 in the world,” Kumar further wrote in the letter. “In a small way, our club is spearheading the efforts to bring women’s football in India by being the champion club of Indian since 2019. Such an unforeseen ban should not be detrimental to our efforts in making INDIA proud to become the number one women’s football nation in Asia.”

According to FIFA, the suspension of the AIFF will be removed as soon as the decision to create a committee of administrators to exercise the Executive Committee's authority has been reversed and the AIFF administration has complete control over the organization's daily operations.