AIFF Promises To Try And 'Arrive At Mutually Agreeable Measures' With FSDL

Last Updated:August 22, 2025, 22:51 IST

AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited will negotiate the Master Rights Agreement to resolve the ISL crisis, with Supreme Court oversight.

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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) stated on Friday that it will “endeavour to arrive at mutually agreeable measures" with the Indian Super League (ISL) organisers to ensure the event starts on time. This follows the Supreme Court’s approval for discussions on the matter.

A Supreme Court bench of two judges granted permission for the AIFF and ISL organisers, FSDL, to commence talks on the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) to find a solution for the upcoming ISL season.

The next hearing is set for August 28.

Following the Supreme Court proceedings, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey announced that the AIFF will enter into good faith negotiations with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) regarding the MRA, which is due to expire on December 8, 2025.

He added that the parties will strive to agree on measures to ensure the timely start of the 2025-26 football calendar, so this can be presented to the Supreme Court at the next hearing on August 28, 2025.

The current crisis arose after FSDL, the ISL organisers and AIFF’s commercial partner, put the 2025-26 season “on hold" on July 11 due to uncertainty over the MRA renewal, causing at least three clubs to pause first-team operations or suspend player and staff salaries.

The current MRA, signed in 2010 between FSDL and AIFF, expires on December 8, by which time the ISL would typically be in its third month of a season running from September to April.

Under the MRA, AIFF receives Rs 50 crore annually from FSDL.

An earlier Supreme Court directive has prohibited the AIFF from negotiating new MRA terms with FSDL until a final judgment in the AIFF draft constitution case is delivered.

On Thursday, eleven ISL clubs requested senior lawyers assisting the Supreme Court, Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Samar Bansal, to highlight their existential crisis and the “urgency of pronouncing judgment at the earliest."

The clubs noted that football clubs, their players, employees, and stakeholders are most affected by the current standstill in Indian football and urged the court to address their concerns promptly.

The clubs also requested that if proceedings extend beyond August 22, 2025, processes related to conducting leagues and ancillary operations be allowed and expedited to achieve a long-term solution promptly.

The eleven ISL clubs that signed the 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.

These clubs had previously warned the AIFF that they face potential shutdown due to uncertainty over the ISL’s future.

(With PTI Inputs)

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First Published:

August 22, 2025, 22:51 IST

News sports AIFF Promises To Try And 'Arrive At Mutually Agreeable Measures' With FSDL

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