Supreme Court to hear ISL clubs’ plea on August 22 as Indian football faces existential crisis
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Supreme Court to hear ISL clubs’ plea on August 22 as Indian football faces existential crisis")
Supreme Court of India Photograph: (PTI)
The clubs wrote a letter to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey last week, saying the crisis arising out of the non-renewal of the Master Rights Agreement between the national federation and the ISL organisers, FSDL, has ‘paralysed professional football in India’
The Supreme Court on Monday (August 18) agreed to hear on August 22 the dispute between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) over the future of the Indian Super League (ISL), following the non-renewal of contracts that has left 11 clubs facing uncertainty. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar listed the plea after amicus curiae and senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan argued that FSDL must honour its contract to conduct the ISL during the agreement period.
"If it does not, the AIFF should be directed to terminate the contract and float a tender. Otherwise the players suffer and after repeated non-payment, we can be sanctioned by the FIFA," Sankaranarayanan said. The crisis stems from FSDL’s decision on July 11 to place the 2025-26 ISL season “on hold”, citing uncertainty over the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with AIFF. The move has already led at least three clubs to pause first-team operations or suspend salaries.
Last week, the 11 ISL clubs — including Bengaluru FC, Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC, Chennaiyin FC, Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa, Kerala Blasters FC, Punjab FC, NorthEast United FC, Mumbai City FC and Mohammedan Sporting — wrote to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey warning that they face “the real possibility of shutting down entirely.”
Traditional giants Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal did not sign the letter. The clubs said the deadlock has “paralysed professional football in India” and threatens to undo over a decade of investment in youth development, infrastructure, and community outreach.
"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. "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," they said.
Meanwhile, the larger issue of governance in Indian football remains pending. On April 30, the top court reserved its verdict on the draft AIFF constitution prepared by former judge L Nageswara Rao.
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The draft proposes sweeping reforms, including:
- A maximum of 12 years in office (two consecutive four-year terms, with a mandatory four-year cooling-off after eight years),
- An age cap of 70 years for office-bearers
- An executive committee of 14 members, including five eminent players (two women)
- Provision for no-confidence motions to remove office-bearers, including the president
- The Supreme Court will take up the ISL crisis on Friday (August 22)
