Nagaland Football Association flags surge in unauthorised football tournaments, cites AIFF guidelines

Calls for strict compliance from clubs, officials, and players for the 2025–26 season

The Nagaland Football Association (NFA) has issued a formal directive cautioning against participation in unauthorised and unregistered football and futsal tournaments in the state. The directive is rooted in a broader effort to “streamline the systematic management and administration of football” in line with national policy laid down by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Quoting AIFF Circular No. 35 (Ref. No. AIFF/MA/2024/378 dated 19.06.2024), the NFA stated: “No AIFF-registered player, coach, or referee should be permitted to participate in unauthorised tournaments that do not have permission from the State Association and their affiliated district.” The circular comes ahead of the upcoming 2025–26 football season and is directed at all member District Football Associations (DFAs), clubs, tournament organisers, officials, and players.

The NFA emphasised that any violations must be met with “strong action against those players, coaches, or referees found to be guilty, as per the constitution and other by-laws of the respective State Association.” It further directed that if such issues are flagged by state, district, club, or academy-level bodies, they should be reported simultaneously to both the AIFF and the concerned state association.

As part of the new framework, state associations are now being asked to develop and enforce tournament registration policies. For private organisers seeking to conduct tournaments, certain conditions must be met, including: “only registered clubs/academies can participate,” “only players registered in the registered clubs can represent the teams,” “only licensed referees should be officiating the games,” and the provision of “full security for the players/officials” by the organisers.

In reiterating its position, the NFA reminded member DFAs of a previous communication on “Private Football Tournaments and procedures to be followed” issued on 25 November 2022, which was itself in pursuance of AIFF’s Ref. No. AIFF/Tournament/2022-799 dated 02.11.2022.

The association made it clear that the current decision has been prompted by the unchecked proliferation of “unauthorised and unregistered football tournaments across the state.” Framing its concern as a matter of safeguarding the sport, the directive concludes that the move is “in the best interest of protecting the interests of the Association and its member DFAs, clubs, footballers, officials and all stakeholders of the game concerned.”

MT