The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has proposed a name change to Football Federation of Bharat (FFB) and made it mandatory to play the national anthem and the national song, Vande Mataram, before all official matches in the country. The proposals were passed during the special general body meeting on Saturday.
Unanimous Approval for Name Change and Anthem
According to a state association official who attended the virtual meeting, no objections were raised by any members regarding either the name change—the first in 90 years—or the requirement to play the national anthem before kick-off, starting from the under-12 level.
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey told TOI, “Traditionally, India is known as Bharat, so we thought Indian football should reflect that even on the international stage. There was ‘Bharat in Paris’ during the last Olympics (in 2024). Bharat is normal usage at international summits and seminars. Even at the World Cup, countries are using their new names: Turkey is Turkiye, Czech Republic is Czechia. Our football federation can also be part of this change.”
National Anthem and Song for All Matches
The proposal to have the national anthem and Vande Mataram played before kick-off at all AIFF-conducted matches received unanimous approval. Typically, national anthems are only played before international fixtures. In India, the Indian Super League (ISL) had started this practice but later discontinued it because it did not align with global practices.
Chaubey, a former India goalkeeper, explained the rationale: “Children take to football as a passion and only a handful turn professional players. During this transition, singing the national anthem and Vande Mataram, our national song, will generate more nationalism. So, when they wear the national team jersey (before international matches), the mindset will be different.”
Next Steps: Approval from Sports Ministry and FIFA
The name change from AIFF to FFB requires approval from the sports ministry. Subsequently, the federation will write to FIFA, the world football governing body. FIFA representative Emilie Doms, manager of Member Association Governance Service, attended the meeting along with three officials from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The AIFF was formed in 1937 when representatives of football associations from six regions met at the Army Headquarters in Shimla. The six founding regions were the Indian Football Association (IFA), Army Sports Control Board (ASCB), United Provinces, Bihar, North West India Football Association, and Delhi.
