Indian women footballers face uncertain future after FIFA ban

FIFA ban saw the country stripped of a major international tournament and left its best team in limbo. The sport's world governing body this week suspended India's national association, the All India Football Federation (AIFF), "due to undue influence from third parties" -- member associations must be free from legal and political interference. The AIFF has been plagued by governance issues.

The indefinite suspension had an immediate impact on Indian football, men and women, from professional down to grassroots. The under-17 Women's World Cup, set to begin in India on October 11, will not currently take place as planned. It was supposed to be a first FIFA tournament in the country since 2017.

The punishment also coincided with the Asian Football Confederation Women's Club Championship in Uzbekistan, where Indian league winners Gokulam Kerala FC were chasing a maiden title. They only learned about the FIFA suspension when their flight landed in Tashkent and have been barred from competing. "We have put in so much hard work for the last two months and all the players were preparing to win the AFC trophy as well," club captain Ashalati Devi, also skipper of the national women's team, told India News.

"It remains our dream to lift the title," said Devi, describing the team as "distressed by all this". Gokulam put out a statement lamenting that it had been stopped from playing through "no fault of ours". "Our women's team is the pride and jewel for all (of) us and these players have proved themselves to be the best in India," it said.