NEW DELHI: A day after the Indian Super League (ISL) announced it was putting the 2025–26 season on hold due to uncertainty over the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA), the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday acknowledged the ISL’s importance in the country’s football ecosystem but stressed that it must also abide by the law of the land.The existing MRA between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which runs the ISL, is set to expire on December 8 this year—by which time the league would be well into its third month.On Friday, FSDL stated that without a confirmed contractual framework beyond December, it was unable to “effectively plan, organise, or commercialise the 2025-26 ISL season” and had decided to put the season on hold.In response, the AIFF issued a statement saying it would make every effort to ensure the league’s continuity, in line with legal obligations.“The AIFF is conscious of the importance of the ISL not only to the football structure in the country, but also to all the clubs, players, support staff, officials and fans, and also recognises the challenges and difficulties posed due to its disruption. At the same time, AIFF respects the law of the land and the direction of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” the federation said in a statement.Acting on a directive from the Supreme Court, the AIFF has been instructed not to finalise any new terms of the MRA with FSDL until the Court delivers its verdict in the case related to the AIFF’s draft constitution.The AIFF clarified that discussions with FSDL had begun in a timely manner and proposals had been exchanged, but further negotiations were paused following the Court’s order.“As per the Master Rights Agreement, the All India Football Federation had, in a timely manner, first initiated the process of requesting negotiations on the terms of a potential renewal with FSDL on November 21, 2024. Thereafter, senior representatives of the AIFF and FSDL convened meetings on February 5, 2025, in New Delhi and subsequently on March 5, 2025, in Mumbai, to discuss the terms of potential renewal of the Master Rights Agreement.“Following these deliberations, a proposal was submitted by FSDL on March 5, 2025, to which, AIFF responded with a counter-proposal on April 21, 2025. Soon after, the AIFF was advised by its legal counsel that during a hearing on April 26, 2025, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India made an observation that the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement should not be done until its order.”“Consequently, based on legal advice, discussions between the AIFF and FSDL, renewal discussions have been in abeyance pending further directions from the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.”Despite the current impasse, the AIFF assured all stakeholders that their interests would be safeguarded and Indian football would remain unaffected.“The AIFF and its stakeholders will take all possible steps, and do all things within their power, to ensure continuity of the ISL in the best interests of Indian football. We request the understanding of all stakeholders in the interim,” the statement added.FSDL, AIFF’s commercial partner, had signed a 15-year MRA in 2010. Under this agreement, FSDL pays the AIFF Rs 50 crore annually in exchange for broadcasting, managing, and commercialising Indian football, including the national team.This funding has been vital to AIFF’s operational and developmental efforts.FSDL had earlier informed ISL club owners verbally that the next season would not begin until the MRA situation was resolved.According to previous PTI reports, FSDL is also considering the formation of a new holding company to manage the ISL, with ownership divided among participating clubs (60 per cent), FSDL (26 per cent), and AIFF (14 per cent).
