ISL season delay heads to Supreme Court as AIFF, FSDL lock horns over MRA

All India Football Federation (AIFF) has finally assented to communicate to the Supreme Court the dissatisfaction of Indian Super League (ISL) players and clubs over the postponement of the 2025-26 season of the league due to a row over extension of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL).

With the case being argued by the nation's highest court, the AIFF has postponed the signing of the MRA, referring to observations made by the SC, which subsequently resulted in FSDL suspending the ISL's Season 2025-26. The AIFF held a meeting on Thursday among its legal representatives and the ISL clubs to settle the issue, during which they agreed to put the issues of the ISL clubs as well as the players before the Supreme Court.

"A meeting was convened between the legal representatives of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs on Thursday, August 14, 2025. It has been decided by both the parties that the issues of the ISL clubs regarding the postponement of the 2025-26 ISL season, and the inconvenience being experienced by the players and other stakeholders will be taken to the Hon'ble Supreme Court next week, for its benevolent consideration," AIFF said in an Instagram post.

The AIFF recently quoted the SC observation as the reason for the delay in the MRA with FSDL, which suspended the upcoming ISL season. The national body of football stated that it tried to negotiate with FSDL for the extension of the MRA but could not seal the deal following the Supreme Court observation suspension.

"As stipulated in the Master Rights Agreement, the All India Football Federation had, in time, initiated the process of seeking negotiations on terms of a possible renewal with FSDL on November 21, 2024. Subsequently, the senior officials of the AIFF and FSDL held meetings on February 5, 2025, in New Delhi and then on March 5, 2025, in Mumbai, for the terms of possible renewal of the Master Rights Agreement," said a statement by the AIFF.

But in a letter written to the participant clubs, a copy of which is available with IANS, FSDL had stated that it is compelled to suspend ISL 2025-26 because it is "not able to properly plan, organise, or commercialise the 2025–26 ISL season" as no agreement has been made on the MRA, which was to end on December 8, 2025, with the AIFF. The FSDL alleged that the MRA with AIFF will conclude "around one-third of the way through a standard ISL season, which lasts from September to April" because the national federation has not provided a final answer to the proposal to extend the MRA.