IOA has made mess of Indian sport: AIFF chief

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New Delhi: All India Football Federation president Praful Patel on Tuesday slammed the Indian Olympic Association, saying the involvement of chargesheeted persons in its affairs had brought “a messy situation” in Indian sports.
Patel's comment follow Sunday's general body meeting of the association, where they refuted the world body's directive to bar chargesheeted administrators to stand for IOA polls.
Union minister Patel urged the sports ministry to “step in“ and resolve the issue. “The IOA has made a mess of Indian sports. Because of a few people, all other sports administrators in the country are also seen like them. The image of other federations has been tarnished,“ Patel said here.
“Every day something or the other relating to the IOA is coming out which has shown the country's sport in poor light. The sports ministry will have to step in and find a solution out of this messy situation. Though it may be an internal affair of this country, our image before the world has been tarnished,” he added.
IOA’s GBM sought to dilute International Olympic Committee’s directive to bar chargesheeted persons by proposing to apply the sanction to only those who were convicted and sentenced to a jail term of more than two years.
They had argued that under Indian law, chargesheeted persons can stand even for Parliamentary elections.
Patel, also Cabinet minister of heavy industries, conceded that the law of the land will have to apply in this issue. “The law of the land will have to apply, but we have to find out a way that the image of Indian sports and administrators is not tarnished,” he said.
Talking about the AIFF, he said the body had no issues with the contentious age and tenure restrictions provided in the Sports Code. “We have agreed to the age and tenure guidelines of the government. First, we are not going against the government and second we are also to be seen that we are serving the country.”