All Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, except East Bengal, have written to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) seeking the removal of commercial barriers from the constitution and expediting the process of organizing the league.
The current Master Rights Agreement between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) – which managed the ISL from 2014 to 2025 – expires on December 8, and a Request for Proposal for a future commercial partner has not received any applicants.
“The ISL clubs have filed an interim application before the Hon’ble Supreme Court, seeking removal of commercial barriers inadvertently incorporated in the AIFF Constitution,” the letter said. Sports stars.
The articles mentioned in the letter are: 1.21, 1.54 and 63.
Article 1.21 describes the financial year between April 1 and March 31, but since the ISL has not yet been scheduled, a commercial partner will have to be free to enter into a contract that deviates from the window proposed by the AIFF.
Meanwhile, the other two parts concern the power to authorize ownership of the league and its entities – both of which belong entirely to the AIFF. And the clubs have proposed two ways out: conditional tenders or a consortium of ISL clubs running the league.
The clubs proposed that the Federation should only launch a tender if:
The aforementioned constitutional obstacles are removed or clarified, so that the tender is given a legally sustainable and commercially viable basis.
It (the tender procedure) must be carried out within a strict and non-extendable timeline so that the process is completed well before the end of this month. Only a difficult, time-bound tender of this nature offers a realistic chance of stabilizing the commercial structure of the league and saving the current season.
The tender should provide potential bidders with the flexibility to present their own technical and commercial views on the competition.
Consent to the presentation of a media rights/commercial plan by interested parties or a similar mechanism that protects the football pyramid without imposing commercially unrealistic minimum guarantees.
The clubs suggested that if a commercial partner is still not available, a Premier League-style model could also be explored, where the clubs own the majority of the competition, with the national FA – the AIFF – having a stake in the competition.
This idea was also discussed at the December 3 meeting in New Delhi where Mohun Bagan Super Giant CEO Vinay Chopra pitched the idea.
It is similar to the plan presented by FSDL to the AIFF earlier this year, under which 60 percent of the equity share was shared equally among all ISL clubs, 26 percent was transferred to FSDL and the remaining 14 percent to the Federation.
Both ideas were discussed in the presence of the Sports Ministry on Wednesday, with Minister Mansukh Mandaviya assuring clubs that the competition will take place this season.
It is understood that the AIFF has forwarded the clubs’ letter to the Sports Ministry for information and necessary action.
Published on December 5, 2025
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