Key Points

A two-judge SC bench allowed the AIFF and FSDL to start talks on the MRA, which is set to expire on December 8, 2025, and work towards an arrangement that would allow the ISL’s 2025–26 season to commence.

“Pursuant to the proceedings in the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India this afternoon, the AIFF will enter into good faith negotiations with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) in respect of the Master Rights Agreement that is set to expire on December 8, 2025,” said AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey in a statement.

“The parties will endeavour to arrive at mutually agreeable measures to enable timely commencement of the 2025-26 football calendar so that the same may be presented for the consideration of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India at the next hearing, i.e., August 28, 2025,” he added.

The standoff began on July 11, when FSDL, AIFF’s commercial partner and ISL organisers, put the 2025-26 season “on hold” due to uncertainty over the renewal of the MRA. The suspension has already had severe repercussions, with at least three clubs either pausing first-team operations or suspending player and staff salaries.

The current MRA, signed in 2010, ensures that AIFF receives ₹50 crore annually from FSDL. It is set to expire on December 8, by which time the ISL would typically be in its third month of a normal September-to-April season. However, following an earlier Supreme Court directive, the AIFF has been barred from negotiating new terms until a final verdict is delivered in the AIFF draft constitution case.

On Thursday, 11 ISL clubs wrote to senior lawyers Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Samar Bansal, who are assisting the SC, urging them to flag the urgency of the situation.

“Given that football clubs (across entire pyramid), their players, employees, and stakeholders are the most directly and immediately affected by the current standstill in Indian football, we have no option but to approach your good selves, as officers of the Hon’ble Court, to humbly request that our concerns be placed before the Ld. Bench,” the clubs wrote.

The letter further underscored the stakes involved: “The urgency of pronouncing judgment at the earliest, given football calendar is at a standstill across pyramid; any consequential directions flowing from the judgment be directed to be completed in a time-bound (15-30 days), to restore certainty at the earliest.”

The clubs also sought clarity if proceedings stretch further. “In the event the present proceedings are to go on beyond August 22, 2025, the processes related to conducting the leagues and any ancillary operations may be allowed and expedited so that a long-term constructive solution for all parties may be obtained at the earliest,” they added, while noting that they are not parties to the case.

The clubs that signed the joint letter are Bengaluru FC, Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC, Chennaiyin FC, Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa, Kerala Blasters FC, Punjab FC, NorthEast United FC, Mumbai City FC, and Mohammedan Sporting.

This group had earlier warned the AIFF of an existential threat, stating they might be forced to shut down operations entirely if uncertainty over the ISL’s future persists.

- IANS