In a move aimed at streamlining the management and administration of football and futsal tournaments across the state, the Nagaland Football Association (NFA) has informed all stakeholders of the implementation of new guidelines in accordance with the recommendations of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Executive Committee.
These guidelines, to be enforced in the upcoming 2025–26 football season, are issued for the strict compliance of all District Football Associations (DFAs), tournament organizers, clubs, officials, and players across the state. The key directives are as follows:
No AIFF-registered player, coach, or referee will be allowed to participate in tournaments that do not have prior approval from the respective State Association and their affiliated District Football Associations.
Reporting and Disciplinary Action: Should any state, district, club, or academy report violations of this directive to the AIFF and the State Association, the NFA will take strong disciplinary action against those involved, in line with the NFA Constitution and by-laws.
Tournament Registration Policies: All Member Associations are encouraged to establish and enforce their own policies for tournament registration. Any organization or private entity intending to host a tournament must obtain proper permission or registration from the concerned district and/or state association, ensure that only registered clubs/academies participate, to allow only registered players from those clubs to compete, to employ licensed referees for officiating and to provide adequate security for players and officials during the tournament.
The NFA further reminds all its member DFAs of its earlier circular on “Private Football Tournaments and Procedures to be Followed”, which was issued pursuant to AIFF’s Ref. No. AIFF/Tournament/2022-799 dated 02.11.2022. This earlier directive remains in effect and should be followed in conjunction with the current guidelines.
NFA have stated that these measures are being implemented in response to the increasing number of unauthorized and unregistered football tournaments taking place in Nagaland.
The NFA emphasizes that these steps are vital to safeguard the integrity of the game, protect the interests of players, officials, clubs, and all stakeholders, and ensure football in the state is conducted in a professional, transparent, and AIFF-compliant manner.