New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday put the All India Football Federation and its commercial partners (FSDL) back on the discussion table to find a way to conduct the 2025-26 Indian Super League that has been put on hold, and which threatens to bring the game to a grinding halt in the country.
Since the Court had prevented contract renewal negotiations to be held between the AIFF and FSDL on April 30, the 2025-26 edition of the top-tier league was indefinitedly postponed, leading to clubs suspending player contracts and stopping their first-team operations.
With livelihood of around 5000 people hanging in balance, not to speak of the crores of investment over the years, and with world governing body FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation and global players union FIFPRO all monitoring the situation closely, the Court set a fresh date of August 28 date to hear the matter.
In between, the AIFF and FSDL were allowed to sit together and find a way to agree on how to organise the league, which will prevent India from avoiding sanctions.
As per AFC regulations, a 24-match season is the bare minimum for countries to be eligible to send teams in Asian clubs competitions and get developmental grants.
ISL runs from a September-April window, in between which the 15-year master rights agreement (MRA) between the AIFF and FSDL end on December 8. Negotiations from February to April had yeilded no tangible outcome with both parties turning down offers and counter offers.
Without a clear structure or long-term pathway in place, especially after the Court directed MRA negotiations to resume only after fresh AIFF elections, FSDL haven’t been keen to carry forward with their obligation to stage the ISL, which they own and run under the aegis of the AIFF.
Scale of investment sought
After hearing arguments from Amici Curiae Gopal Sankarnarayanan and Samar Bansal, FSDL counsel Neerak Kaul and a lawyer representing former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia, the specially constituted SC bench of Justice Sri Narasimha & Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the federation and FSDL to find a way forward for the upcoming ISL season.
Amici Curiae pointed put that FSDL are contractually obligated to organise the 2025-26 ISL since the term of its contract is till December.
Kaul argued that since around Rs 150 crore is invested per year for the league, it is not feasible to plan on a year-to-year basis, in the absence of clarity over long-term vision.
As this season is delayed, sponsorships are non-existent, which would lead to losses, and to put any arrangement in place requires a certain amount of time as logistics are other practical problems are involved, Kaul said.
The Court then set a fresh date of hearing before directing FSDL to furnish the annual cost of conducting a season of the ISL, which began in 2014 and became the top league in 2019.
The SC bench also informed that it is ready to pronounce a judgment on AIFF’s constitution, keeping in mind the National Sports Bill that necessitates fresh election, while Amicus Sankarnarayanan disclosed that only a couple of minor incorporations are needed to be made from it now that it has become an Act after President Droupadi’s assent.