Sports Minister Vows To Address India's Football Crisis Following Meeting With Stakeholder

Last Updated:December 03, 2025, 22:31 IST

Mansukh Mandaviya promised a resolution to the ongoing issues, after his meeting with AIFF chief, ISL, I-League clubs, FSDL and other commercial partners.

Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya. (PTI Photo)

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya intervened to address the crisis in Indian football by meeting with various stakeholders on Wednesday. He promised a resolution to the ongoing policy paralysis and financial issues, but only after asking key questions about the current situation.

The meetings included AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, representatives from Indian Super League clubs and I-League clubs, potential commercial partners, Football Sports Development Limited, which is AIFF’s commercial partner until December 8, and some OTT platforms like Fancode.

“The minister listened to all stakeholders and noted their inputs. He has made it clear that the deadlock will end soon, with a plan to resolve it being announced in the next few days. Today’s meeting was about assessing the situation and hearing everyone’s perspectives," a ministry source said.

An official at the meeting said the minister began by asking how Indian football ended up in such turmoil, a question that did not receive clear answers.

“The minister asked, ‘Why is Indian football facing a situation where nobody is willing to become its commercial partner?’ Ranjit Bajaj, who runs I-League club Delhi FC, cited the lack of grassroots development as a major reason," said an official.

A ministry source later confirmed that Mandaviya did question AIFF officials and club representatives on why the situation was allowed to “spiral out of control."

Indian domestic football descended into chaos after FSDL informed the AIFF in July that it was putting the ISL on hold due to uncertainty over the renewal of the 15-year Master Rights Agreement (MRA) ending on December 8.

Supreme Court-appointed retired Justice Nageswara Rao was tasked with overseeing the search for a new commercial partner. However, after the tender for ISL’s commercial rights attracted no bidders, Justice Rao recommended to the Supreme Court a balance between preserving AIFF’s authority and considering prospective bidders’ commercial interests since the current setup does not allow them a say in league operations.

In Wednesday’s meeting, the minister urged stakeholders to work through their differences.

“It was a marathon meeting… All stakeholder representatives, including Kalyan Chaubey, met with Mandaviya chairing the session. KPMG (hired by AIFF to draft the bid document) was also present," said a football official at the meeting.

“The potential bidders stated that under the current tender terms, bidding for ISL commercial rights would not be commercially viable. The Ministry will decide the way forward. The financial model and structural issues were discussed," he added.

Bajaj highlighted the diminished status of the I-League compared to the ISL. “The big clubs and small clubs are not growing together. For instance, when big clubs buy promising players from smaller clubs, the money from the deal should help the smaller clubs develop and grow. That is not happening here," he noted.

“The focus appears to be on holding football matches in big cities instead of taking the game to small towns and hinterlands where there is more interest," he said.

I-League club representatives, including Bajaj, suggested a unified league. Under scrutiny, FSDL reiterated that “Indian football is not financially viable."

“FSDL has provided Rs 2 crore annually to all ISL franchises… Why are they still failing to supply enough players to the national team?" asked another official present at the meeting.

Chaubey pointed out the heavy costs the federation incurs hosting over 20 tournaments a year, including age-group tournaments for both boys and girls.

It was learned that the AIFF proposed reducing the annual minimum guaranteed payment to improve the chances of finding a commercial partner to run the league if financial support from the government is assured. However, the minister did not respond to this suggestion during the meeting.

(With Inputs From Agencies)

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