It looks like the Indian Super League is heading for a major change. The clubs themselves have proposed to run the entire league. This idea came up in a high-profile meeting in Delhi with the Union Sports Minister, who seems to have given it a green light.
Indian Super League: The confusion over the next ISL season is finally clearing up. The big news is that all the clubs might come together to form an operations body, which will then run the entire competition. This is because the clubs have put forward a proposal to run the ISL themselves, and the Union Sports Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, has given his approval.
He has instructed the All IndiaFootball Federation to quickly hold a meeting with all the clubs and set up a task force. This task force will then chalk out the commercial and financial plan for the ISL in its next meeting.
A New Model for the ISL
On Monday, representatives from the 14 ISL clubs had a meeting in Delhi with the Union Sports Minister. AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey and other federation officials were also present. It was in this meeting that the clubs suggested they should be the ones to manage the football league completely. Sources say the Sports Minister really liked the proposal.
He has told the football clubs to start moving forward with their plan. He has also asked them to prepare a financial roadmap for the next four years.
According to sources, the clubs have presented a four-year proposal. Under this plan, each club will give the federation ₹1.1 crore every year. This means the federation will get a total of ₹15.4 crore annually. But here’s the interesting part: Genius Sports, the company the federation was initially considering to run the ISL, had offered only ₹12.4 crore per year.
So, the clubs’ joint offer is actually ₹3 crore more than what the AIFF was getting. Former AIFF President Praful Patel has played a key role in this meeting, helping mediate between the different parties to find a solution. He has also promised to help find a broadcaster.
How Much Profit Could Be Made?
However, the issue isn’t that the clubs have a problem with Genius Sports. That’s not the main point. The real problem for them is the idea that they would have no say in how the league is organised. They just couldn’t agree to that.
They also argued that a long-term contract, like for 20 years, is not the right decision, and so they offered an alternative. The Sports Minister has agreed with their view. He has urged everyone to take the initiative to boost the country’s sports business and economy. He has also ordered that the ISL’s new business model be created quickly.
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