Finally, a road ahead for Indian football

Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has submitted before the Supreme Court that it proposes to kickstart the season with the Super Cup or another domestic competition, while the “new league season” is expected to commence from December.
Whether the new league continues to be the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) will depend on Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL), a subsidiary of Reliance and AIFF’s current marketing partners, taking part and winning the “open, competitive and transparent tender for selection of a commercial partner to conduct the ISL in line with global best practices.”
AIFF has told the Supreme Court that it will conclude the process of finalising a marketing partner by Oct 15.
FSDL’s 15-year contract with AIFF ends Dec 8, 2025, and the marketing partners have agreed to advance the final tranche of the rights fee of Rs 12.5 crore. The company has crucially also waived its contractual Right of First Negotiation and Right to Match.
“This collaborative framework represents a significant step forward in the evolution of Indian football as it ensures that no disruption is caused to the footballing ecosystem, that all stakeholders are given clarity, and that the governance of the sport proceeds in conformity with national and international norms,” AIFF and FSDL said in a joint submission before the SC on Thursday.
All parties have been asked by the SC to “reflect” on the proposals, and if agreeable, the court will pronounce judgment on Monday.
The crucial matter of AIFF’s constitution, with FIFA, the governing body of world football, threatening to suspend India if there’s no definitive order from SC and ratification by the general body before Oct 30, is also expected to be finalised next week.
The AIFF constitution case has been in the apex court since 2017, when the court directed formulation of a new constitution, one that was submitted by former SC Judge Justice L. Nageswara Rao in 2023.
For AIFF, its marketing partners waiving its contractual Right of First Negotiation and Right to Match was a big step forward.
"No sooner the order is out, we will appoint one of the big five companies to oversee the tender process and float the tender by Sept 15,” said a senior official. “A month later, we will have the marketing partners in place, and they will be asked to start the league in Dec. FSDL giving up its right to match was a big win (for an open and transparent process). If they could match, there was no point in issuing a global tender since not many would have participated.”

A FEW QUESTIONS...

ISL from Dec: No league in the world starts so late into the season. Assuming there will be at least 24-26 games for each club, will the rushed schedule be to the detriment of the players?
Super Cup kick off: Six ISL clubs have not started pre-season and there are three international windows – Sep 4-12, Oct 9-17, Nov 13-21 – in the next three months. Where does the Super Cup get slotted?
Two-month break: If the Super Cup goes ahead as planned in Sep/Oct, and ISL in Dec, what do the players do during the intervening period?
New tender: Having waived its contractual Right of First Negotiation and Right to Match, will FSDL continue?
Club dilemma: Will hesitant clubs be brave enough to dive into the season, without knowing what the future holds?