Supreme Court Orders AIFF & FSDL To Settle MRA Dispute; Hearing Scheduled For Thursday

Last Updated:August 22, 2025, 15:57 IST

Supreme Court has ordered the All India Football Federation and Football Sports Development Limited to resolve Indian Super League Master Rights Agreement dispute.

ISL will be held this season, Kalyan Chaubey has reassured (Picture credit: ISL)

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the All India Football Federation and the Football Sports Development Limited to settle the Master Rights Agreement dispute, which has led to an indefinite postponement of the Indian Super League, adding that the next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, August 28.

A special bench, comprising Justice Sri PS Narasimha and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, gave the order and set the date for the next hearing.

The federation and the Football Sports Development Limited have remained at a deadlock regarding the MRA, the administrative backbone of the ISL, India’s top-flight of men’s football.

The current Master Rights Agreement ends in December and a lack of agreement on a future MRA has led to the 2025-26 season of the Indian Super League being put on hold on July 11.

As a result, 11 of the 13 Indian Super League clubs look at disastrous consequences if ISL doesn’t happen, with multiple of them suspending operations.

Meanwhile, the International Soccer Players’ Union FIFPRO on Tuesday expressed concerns over the growing uncertainty in Indian club football and called for a swift resolution to the crisis that threatens football’s future in India.

Club football “is going through a crisis" because of the uncertainty over the future of India’s top-tier Indian Super League and the players’ body requested the stakeholders to put in a collective effort to tide over the crisis.

Following the July 11 decision of ISL organisers FSDL to put the 2025-26 season “on hold" because of the uncertainty surrounding the renewal of the MRA signed with the federation in 2010, three clubs have either paused first-team operations or suspended salaries of first-team players and staff.

FIFPRO added in the statement, “the players have been subjected to unilateral and unlawful suspensions of their employment contracts until further notice. These actions represent a direct breach of the players’ labour rights and are causing significant distress."

News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated!

Location :

First Published:

August 22, 2025, 15:57 IST

News sports Supreme Court Orders AIFF & FSDL To Settle MRA Dispute; Hearing Scheduled For Thursday

Read More