New Delhi: Just over 10 days remain for the commencement of the U-17 World Cup in India, which is considered to be the country’s biggest footballing event. But, the administration of the football governing body of Delhi lies in jeopardy after failing to host elections within the FIFA deadline date.
The Delhi Soccer Association (DSA) has many issues that has recurred in the past years, with issues such as sexual harassment reaching the Prime Minister’s office (PMO).
According to a report in Hindustan Times, the hierarchy of the DSA are controlled by officials whose contract have expired over two years ago on 21st May 2015. However despite notices sent to it by several government bodies, including the PMO and the Registrar of Societies, the officials have held on to their positions.
We have communicated to them regularly and they have said that they definitely want to conduct elections,” said AIFF general secretary Kushal Das, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
He further added, “Initially there was some issues regarding the Returning Officer not being available but the DSA has said that they will conduct the elections. It will definitely happen this year.”
The DSA were then given an additional six month period by the AIFF on September 27, 2016 for holding elections, which has elapses but no election has taken place as yet.
Earlier the DSA in it’s defence had stated that elections were getting delayed because its units were not complying with the new constitution of the AIFF. But several dates have been given by the authorities muling over the elections.
Then after months of negligence, the DSA finally appointed former Delhi High Court judge, Justice HR Malhotra, as the election officer who on May 22, this year gave the body a deadline of four months to complete all the formalities and remaining work before a new election could be held.
But again delay in following the order has led to delay in the elections. Subhash Chopra, current president of the DSA spoke to The Hindustan Times and said, “There should be impartial elections and that is why we appointed Justice Malhotra. I have no interest in continuing as DSA president because of my age,” besides mentioning that the elections were stalled due to technicalities.
If rules are to go by, Chopra should have long been gone according to Ajay Maken’s proposed sports code in 2011, where it has been mentioned that “70-plus officials have no place in sports federations.”
However according to reports the reason isn’t technicality but a longing to be at the scheme of things during the U-17 World Cup in India. Chopra, who will turn 70 in the next month has a very healthy relationship with AIFF president Praful Patel.
But, it is said that the ‘wheel of fortune is very deceptive, it takes disrupted turns’ and the turn has finally come for the DSA officials to vacate their seats.
The state football body’s managing committee announced that it has scheduled a meeting on October 2 to ‘declare the dates of the DSA elections’.