FIFA Could Ban Second Country From Internationals After Russia World Cup Decision

FIFA could ban a second country from international football after their decision on Russia.

Russia have been suspended from playing in UEFA or FIFA-sanctioned competitions since their illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

They can still play friendlies, and have done so against teams from across the world - except Europe, barring Belarus - since their suspension.

FIFA have imposed a number of temporary suspensions on nations this year, with Congo and Pakistan both briefly banned due to governance-related issues before being re-admitted to international football.

But Russia are currently the only nation to be definitively banned from playing in UEFA or FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup - even if US President Donald Trump has hinted that he would like their president, Vladimir Putin, to attend.

Next month, however, they could be joined by a second nation - albeit one who are already out of World Cup contention.

AFP reported in August that FIFA have set a deadline of October 30 for the governing body of the India national team, the All India Football Federation, to implement a new constitution.

FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) sent a joint letter - seen by AFP - to the AIFF president.

The letter states that there is 'profound concern' over the current failure to adopt the new constitution, and adds: "AIFF must regard this communication as binding and requiring immediate compliance in order to safeguard its rights as a member of FIFA and the AFC."

A decision over the AIFF's constitution has been held in India's Supreme Court since 2017.

SPORTbible have approached the AIFF for comment.

What is happening in Indian football?

Amid the joint letter is a developing crisis surrounding India's top domestic division, the Indian Super League.

The eight-team ISL was founded in 2014 and attracted a wide array of high-profile players to feature in its inaugural season through its marquee player rule, which allowed each team to sign one player considered as a 'superstar'.

Robert Pires, Alessandro del Piero, Freddie Ljungberg and David Trezeguet were among the marquee players in season one.

Roberto Carlos and Nicolas Anelka would sign up for season two, with Lucio, Florent Malouda and John Arne Riise joining the ISL for season three.

Nowadays, the quality and profile of the league has diminished, though its all-time top goalscorer and India legend Sunil Chhetri, now 41, is still active.

The 2025/26 ISL season, due to start this month, has been put on hold.

The reason behind that decision, The Athletic report, is a dispute between the AIFF and the administrators of the ISL, Football Sports Development Limited, over commercial revenue structures relating to the league.

The report adds that the AIFF were initially ordered not to make major decisions by the Supreme Court until a decision was reached surrounding their constitution, with a temporary negotiation window opened last month.

The ISL's Master Rights Agreement (MRA), which covers payments made by FSDL to the AIFF to run the league, expires in December 2025 and has not yet been renewed.

Therefore, there are said to be concerns over the league's future, with the ISL having not caught the Indian public's attention in anywhere near the way that its cricket equivalent, the Indian Premier League, has been able to do over the years.

Three clubs, including previous champions Bengaluru, have announced since July that they have had to put player and staff wages on hold due to the uncertainty.