New Delhi: The All Indian Football Federation has agreed to bring the prevailing legal uncertainty & administrative vacuum to Supreme Court’s attention next week after a meeting with lawyers of Indian Super League clubs on Thursday.
Barely 24 hours after speaking to top officials of the AIFF and its marketing partners (FSDL) on August 7, 11 of the 23 ISL clubs had expressed their surprise over the federation’s unwillingness to appeal to the apex court over a deadlock that threatens to disrupt the entire Indian football ecosystem.
The AIFF had been keen to seek a legal opinion before making the move, with vice president NA Haris insisting that the Court has been requested to fastrack the verdict but nothing can be done beyond that.
“It is Supreme Court. We can’t do anything. We are all waiting for it (judgment) to come at the earliest. They (SC) have kept it for orders. We are waiting for it. On day one itself, we requested please tell immediately. But if they have to tell, we are waiting for it,” he had said at a press conference on August 7.
But the clubs’ proactive stance, which admittedly took president Kalyan Chaubey by surprise, forced the AIFF to budge from its earlier stance of waiting for the Court to deliver its verdict as per its convenience.
Through a virtual legal counsel meeting on Thursday, it was agreed that the AIFF will orally mention the matter to the SC on Monday (August 18), with the objective of apprising the Court of the hardships faced by stakeholders of the ecosystem.
Should they desire, the clubs are free to have their lawyers present at the Court. The clubs plan to provide a letter to the AIFF by Friday (August 15) in support, listing down hardships faced and other pertinent points.
Better late than never?
“It will be an oral mention. That is much needed to make SC aware of challenges, loss of jobs and breaking of the ecosystem,” a club official told News9 Sports.
“It should have been done earlier. We are on borrowed time now. But at least it’s a step in the right direction. Had this not been agreed, then the clubs would have had no option but to file an intervention.
“But since the AIFF is a main respondent in the case, it is easier for them to mention it. For clubs the process is a bit complicated as we are not a direct party.”
An application for directions will be kept ready in case the judges allow the AIFF to file it after mentioning of the matter.
In a verbal interim directive on April 30, the SC bench involving Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi, had stalled all negotiations between the AIFF and FSDL over renewal of master right agreement (MRA) that ends in December.
The AIFF intends to request the Court to lift its verbal directive to allow negotiations to resume. Offers and counter offers had been rejected by both parties before the Court directive.
With no clarity of when the top-tier ISL, organised by FSDL in a September to April window, would begin its 2025-26 season, clubs began to suspend their first-team operations one by one and put salaries on hold.
The AIFF had proposed to begin the Super Cup in September for the clubs to begin their campaign after a pre-season training of six weeks but, in absence of ISL’s start date, couldn’t convince the clubs to agree to it.
“In our meeting in New Delhi last Thursday, the AIFF said they are open to any form of negotiation. The clubs want the AIFF and FSDL to at least come to the negotiation table,” the official said.
“If this move helps, it is good. Let’s see how the Court react and perceives it. We hope it will hasten the process up, in anticipation of a judgement.”
The AIFF didn’t offer an immediate comment but had posted the minutes of last Thursday’s meeting on social media in which it was witten “Supreme Court representation – Possible if all parties’ legal counsel approve”.