The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is open to the idea of Indian Super League (ISL) clubs forming a consortium to host the league this season, following the absence of a timely resolution from the federation or the Sports Ministry over the impasse in Indian football.
The ISL has been left in limbo this season after the AIFF failed to agree on a future Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the body that ran the league for a decade.
The existing MRA ended on December 8 and a Request for Proposal from the AIFF for a potential commercial partner found no bidders.
As a result, there is no men’s premier league football in India for the first time since 1996, while several clubs have suspended first-team activities, including ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC.
The situation became so dire that clubs ran from pillar to post, from the Supreme Court to the Ministry of Sports, but a solution is yet to be found.
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In such a scenario, the clubs met on Wednesday to discuss the next course of action: forming a consortium to jointly organize the league, as proposed by all ISL clubs, except East Bengal, in a letter sent to the AIFF on December 5.
«…should the revised tender fail to result in a suitable commercial partner, we respectfully request the AIFF to consider a framework under which the ISL clubs can jointly form a consortium to own/manage the league (as majority shareholders), alongside the Federation and align commercial/broadcast/private investors. Such an approach is consistent with global best practices and reflects the clubs’ long-term commitment to Indian football,» the clubs had written.
The plan, initially proposed by Mohun Bagan Super Giant CEO Vinay Chopra, was discussed at length with at least nine sides of the consortium. Now the Federation would also like to explore that option.
“…we should discuss the matter and seek approval at the AIFF EXCO and the AIFF AGM scheduled on December 20, 2025,” AIFF Deputy General Secretary M. Satyanarayan wrote in a letter to the CEOs of ISL clubs on Wednesday.
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«We recall that when we met on November 12 and 18, 2025, we also discussed the possibility of organizing this competition jointly. We had expected to receive an assessment on the IA (interim application) filed by the ISL clubs by November 19 or 20, 2025, but as we sit here on December 10, 2025, nothing has changed,» Satyanarayan added.
“I therefore suggest that a conference/virtual discussion can be arranged between the undersigned and the club representatives at the earliest to work towards a mutually acceptable solution.”
If and when the issue comes up at the Annual General Meeting later this month, a vote could finally end the impasse. However, the possible solution would only apply to the 2025-2026 season.
Published on December 10, 2025
