The National Sports Governance Bill 2025 could put All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey's administrative future in jeopardy.

The Bill, expected to be tabled during the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament, has a clause which makes Chaubey ineligible to stand for re-election.

It may force him to work his way through serving a state association and then hope to gain entry into the executive committee of Indian football's apex body.

This is contrary to how Chaubey grabbed the top position in September 2022. Backed by the BJP, Chaubey had gatecrashed and steamrolled his opponent, former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia.

Should the Supreme Court order precede the passage of the Sports Bill, the apex court's stipulated constitutional provisions will govern the eligibility conditions for the AIFF office-bearers' elections.

However, if the Bill is enacted, the AIFF constitution must adopt its provisions, and the Bill will supersede any conflicting clauses within the AIFF constitution.

Chapter Two of the draft Bill, titled National Sports Bodies, says: "A person shall not be qualified to contest for an election or seek nomination to, the Executive Committee unless — such person is a citizen of India who has attained at least twenty-five years of age; such person is a sportsperson of outstanding merit or has previously served on the Executive Committee for at least two full terms if such person is contesting election for the position of the President or Secretary General or the Treasurer..."

The Telegraph has access to the draft Bill 2025.

Chaubey has not served two terms on the Executive Committee and did not earn a national cap despite being in the India squad during his playing days. Thus, he cannot be deemed as a sportsperson of outstanding merit.

A Tata Football Academy graduate, the former goalkeeper has played for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan among other clubs with considerable success.

The Bill has also relaxed the contentious age limit and tenure clause which gives hope to the likes of former president Praful Patel and ex-senior vice-president Subrata Dutta.

"Provided that any person... shall not be eligible... unless he has served a mandatory one-year cooling-off period... Any person aged between seventy and seventy-five years may contest elections or seek nominations if permitted by the International Charters and Statutes and bye-laws and in case such person is elected, he shall serve the full term."

Patel, a senior leader of the NCP and part of the BJP ecosystem, is 68 now.