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Key Points

Odisha FC has suspended its ISL operations but confirmed its women's team will continue playing. Owner Rohan Sharma expressed frustration over the lack of clarity regarding the league's future. The club retains key staff but struggles with sponsorship and investor engagement. The ISL 2025-26 season remains uncertain due to unresolved commercial rights agreements.

Key Points: Odisha FC Suspends ISL Team But Women's Side Continues Says Owner

  • Odisha FC halts ISL operations due to league uncertainty
  • Women's team to continue pre-season for Indian Women's League
  • Owner cites lack of clarity on league start and sponsorship hurdles
  • ISL 2025-26 delayed amid unresolved Master Rights Agreement issues
2 min read

Odisha FC suspend operations while women's team remain functional, confirms owner

Odisha FC owner Rohan Sharma confirms ISL suspension but assures women's team remains operational amid league uncertainty.

"We haven't shut down the club despite the headlines. Key staff members are retained, our women's team will be operational. – Rohan Sharma"

New Delhi, Aug 1

Odisha FC has suspended operations amidst the uncertainty regarding the future of the Indian Super League 2025/26 season. Club owner Rohan Sharma took to social media to confirm that while the headlines suggest the club has shut down, that is not entirely the case.

Odisha FC’s women side will continue their pre season plans for the upcoming season, with the Indian Women’s League 2025-26 season set to begin in September. He also hopes with more and more clubs being forced to suspend their operations, a solution for the future will be taken more efficiently.

“We haven't shut down the club despite the headlines. Key staff members are retained, our women's team will be operational. However, it becomes harder to justify to my stakeholders to sink Crs upon Crs with nothing to show for it, and no end in sight.

“We have -No Clarity when the League will Start - Nowhere to practice/play/work in Odisha - No way to get sponsorship since there's no season - No way to engage investors with an expiring participation agreement We hoped something would give, but sadly it hasn't

“We didn't go into this offseason planning to take this step. In fact we had made 5 signings until it became clear things are delayed We desperately hope the above issues get resolved; maybe doing this will prompt people to fast-track solutions so we can get back to work,” read the thread by Sharma on ‘X’

In a letter to the participant clubs, a copy of which is with IANS, FSDL informed that it is forced to put ISL 2025-26 on hold because it is "unable to effectively plan, organise, or commercialise the 2025–26 ISL season" because no agreement has been reached regarding the Master Rights Agreement (MRA), which was to expire on December 8, 2025, with the AIFF.

In December 2010, IMG Reliance, the joint venture between IMG Worldwide and Reliance Industries, acquired all the commercial rights to football in India from the AIFF for 15 years.

As per the agreement, the AIFF had given IMG Reliance the rights to exploit the sports commercial value to improve, popularise and promote the game of football throughout India, from the grassroots to the professional level.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Typical Indian sports administration! Always last minute chaos. Kudos to Odisha FC for keeping the women's team going though. Our female athletes need more opportunities like this 💪
A
Aman W
As an Odisha resident, I'm heartbroken. Our team brought so much pride to the state. The owner's frustration is understandable - how can you run a club without basic clarity? Hope they resolve the MRA issue soon.
S
Sarah B
While the situation is unfortunate, I appreciate the transparency from the owner. Most clubs would just vanish quietly. The detailed explanation shows they genuinely care about football in India.
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Karthik V
This Reliance-AIFF deal has been problematic from day one. We need more decentralization in Indian football. State associations should have more say rather than one corporate controlling everything.
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Nisha Z
Silver lining - at least the women's football is getting attention! Maybe this crisis will finally make authorities realize we need to develop women's sports properly in India. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳

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