The Supreme Court of India scheduled a hearing on August 22 regarding the impasse between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), on Monday.
The FSDL — runs the Indian Super League (ISL), currently India’s premier men’s division — and the AIFF have failed to agree on a Master Rights Agreement after December 2025, leading to this season’s league being suspended indefinitely.
A bench of Justices A.S. Chandurkar and P.S. Narasimha listed the matter for Friday after senior advocate and amicus curiae Gopal Sankaranarayanan argued that FSDL was obligated to host the league during its tenure.
“If it does not, the AIFF should terminate the contract and float a tender. Otherwise, the players suffer, and after repeated non-payment, we can be sanctioned by FIFA,” he submitted.
Kalyan Chaubey, the president of AIFF, said that the federation’s senior counsel had advised during a briefing meeting on Sunday that the impasse had to be discussed at the earliest at the apex court.
“While a decision on the date of mentioning was being contemplated, the Amicus Curiae himself sent a communication stating that he would be mentioning the matter, and thus the hearing proceeded in court this morning. The AIFF Senior Counsel appeared and made oral submissions,” Kalyan Chaubey, the AIFF president, told Sportstar.
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“The AIFF intends to use this opportunity to represent to the Hon’ble Supreme Court the urgent need for commercial continuity and to determine the future structure of its top-tier league, in the interests of players, clubs, and other parties, all of whose livelihoods are at stake due to the current impasse,” he added.
The development comes at a time when 11 of the 13 ISL clubs have written to the AIFF that they ‘face the real possibility of shutting down entirely’ if a solution on the league is not reached soon.
“Over the past 11 years, through sustained investment and coordinated effort, clubs have built youth development systems, training infrastructure, community outreach programmes, and professional teams that have elevated India’s footballing credibility both domestically and internationally,” the clubs wrote in the letter sent on August 15.
“This progress is now in imminent danger of collapse. The current standstill has created immediate and severe consequences. With operations suspended and no certainty on league continuity, several clubs face the real possibility of shutting down entirely.”
Several franchises have already suspended operations temporarily, including two-time ISL champion Chennaiyin FC and the 2019 winner, Bengaluru FC.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com