5 months ago
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Twelve Indian Super League (ISL) clubs connected Thursday (December 4, 2025) urged the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to resolve the situation successful the home game without immoderate further delay, saying that the existent concern risks rendering their "ongoing operations untenable".
The Marketing Rights Agreement (MRA) betwixt the AIFF and its commercialized partner, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) — which organises ISL — ends connected December 8, and aft that, the top-tier league volition beryllium near without a commercialized model oregon operational certainty going forward.
"While bulk of the clubs person continued to honour salaries and contractual dues to players and unit successful bully faith, the existent presumption is not simply challenging, it is approaching commercialized impossibility and risks rendering ongoing operations untenable," the clubs said successful a missive to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey.
The 12 ISL clubs are FC Goa, Sporting Club Delhi, NorthEast United FC, Jamshedpur FC, Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Chennauyin FC, Mumbai City FC, Kerala Blasters, Punjab FC, Odisha FC and Mohammedan Sporting. Inter Kashi, which won the I-League and were promoted to the ISL for the upcoming season, was besides progressive successful the move.
"For astir eleven years, ISL clubs person continued to put substantially successful shot successful India contempt persistent losses connected the spot of a predictable league operation and, astir critically, cardinal revenue. This gross watercourse has historically been the main root of income that enabled clubs to negociate salaries, infrastructure, and sporting operations."
"With the expiry of the MRA and the consequent lack of a commercialized rights holder, cardinal gross has ceased entirely. The uncertainty has besides caused section sponsors to retreat oregon intermission commercialized commitments, leaving clubs with nary viable income whatsoever, contempt ongoing obligations."
The clubs besides suggested that the AIFF enactment with the authorities to taxable the actions projected to beryllium taken with regards to the issues highlighted during the gathering with sports curate Mansukh Mandaviya connected oregon earlier December 8, truthful that the apex tribunal is apprised of the remedial pathway.
"... clip is present of the essence. The viability of the clubs and so the aboriginal of the ISL and the Indian shot ecosystem depends connected contiguous steps being placed earlier the Hon'ble Supreme Court.
"It is, therefore, imperative that the study of the Union of India and/or the AIFF connected the actions projected to beryllium taken successful respect of the issues highlighted herein beryllium filed connected oregon earlier 8 December 2025, truthful that the Court is apprised of the remedial pathway and commercialized certainty tin beryllium restored without further delay."
They said immoderate hold beyond this day "risks (causing) irreversible harm to the ecosystem painstakingly built implicit the past decade."
In reply to the letter, the AIFF said it is "forwarding your message to the Ministry of Sports, Govt of India for their accusation and indispensable action."
"The AIFF shall besides enactment successful each imaginable effort arsenic per our AIFF Constitution to guarantee ISL gets a semipermanent sustainable exemplary for maturation and improvement of Indian football.
"We are besides forwarding this message to KPMG to enactment connected a suitable solution, including the anticipation of issuing a re-tender keeping clip constraints successful mind."
The clubs said they had filed an 'Interim Application' earlier the SC, "seeking the removal of commercialized impediments inadvertently incorporated into the AIFF Constitution, which person rendered the tender process unworkable."
"These impediments originate from inter alia Articles 1.21, 1.54, and 63 of the Constitution."
The clubs adjacent went to the grade of saying that nether the caller AIFF Constitution, the nationalist federation "possesses the authorization to amend its ain statutes, including those impeding commercialized cognition of the league-without requiring judicial directions."
"Should the Court process instrumentality time, we impulse that the AIFF see exercising this powerfulness with utmost urgency, successful consultation with the Government wherever necessary, truthful that the athletics is not imperilled by procedural delay."
The AIFF is holding its Annual General Body Meeting connected December 20.
A tender floated by the AIFF to prime a caller commercialized spouse of the ISL did not find immoderate taker. The clubs said successful lawsuit a revised tender could not find a suitable commercialized partner, the AIFF should "consider a model nether which the ISL clubs whitethorn collectively signifier a consortium to own/operate the league (as bulk owners), alongside the Federation and aligned commercial/broadcast/private investors."
"Such an attack is accordant with planetary champion practices and reflective of the semipermanent committedness of the Clubs to Indian football," the missive said.
In the lawsuit of issuing a caller tender, the clubs privation the AIFF to bash that "after the law impediments are removed oregon clarified, truthful that the tender has a legally tenable and commercially viable foundation."
"It indispensable beryllium conducted wrong a strict and non-extendable timeline, specified that the process is completed good earlier the extremity of this month. Only a hard time-bound tender model of this quality provides immoderate realistic accidental to stabilise the commercialized operation of the league and salvage the existent season.
"Beyond the re-tender itself, we respectfully taxable that a semipermanent solution indispensable beryllium formulated without delay. A impermanent oregon stop-gap statement ... momentary alleviation but does not code the underlying structural issues."
