Twelve Indian Super League (ISL) clubs have urged the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to resolve the crisis in the domestic game without any further delay, saying that the current situation risks rendering their "ongoing operations untenable".
The Marketing Rights Agreement (MRA) between the AIFF and its commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which organises ISL, ends on December 8 and after that the top-tier league will be left without a commercial framework or operational certainty going forward.
"While majority of the clubs have continued to honour salaries and contractual dues to players and staff in good faith, the current position is not merely challenging, it is approaching commercial impossibility and risks rendering ongoing operations untenable," the clubs said in a letter to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey.
The 12 ISL clubs are FC Goa, Sporting Club Delhi, NorthEast United FC, Jamshedpur FC, Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Chennauyin FC, Mumbai City FC, Kerala Blasters, Punjab FC, Odisha FC and Mohammedan Sporting. Inter Kashi, which won the I-League and were promoted to the ISL for the upcoming season, was also involved in the move.
"For nearly 11 years, ISL clubs have continued to invest substantially in football in India despite persistent losses on strength of a predictable league structure and, most critically, central revenue. This revenue stream has historically been the principal source of income that enabled clubs to manage salaries, infrastructure and sporting operations,” the clubs said in the letter.
"With the expiry of the MRA and the consequent absence of a commercial rights holder, central revenue has ceased entirely. The uncertainty has also caused local sponsors to withdraw or pause commercial commitments, leaving clubs with no viable income whatsoever, despite ongoing obligations," they said.
The clubs also suggested that the AIFF should work with the government to submit the actions proposed to be taken with regard to the issues highlighted during the meeting with Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on or before December 8 so that the apex court is apprised of the remedial pathway.
"... time is now of the essence. The viability of the clubs and indeed the future of the ISL and the Indian football ecosystem depends on immediate steps being placed before the Supreme Court. It is, therefore, imperative that the report of the Union of India and/or the AIFF on the actions proposed to be taken in respect of the issues highlighted herein be filed on or before 8 December 2025, so that the Court is apprised of the remedial pathway and commercial certainty can be restored without further delay,” the letter said.
The clubs said any extension beyond this date "risks causing irreversible harm to the ecosystem painstakingly built over the past decade". In reply to the letter, the AIFF said it is "forwarding your mail to the Ministry of Sports, Govt of India for their information and necessary action." "The AIFF shall also put in all possible effort as per our AIFF Constitution to ensure ISL gets a long-term sustainable model for growth and development of Indian football,” it said.
Also read: Is AIFF rebuilding football or just reselling it?
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