AIFF To Meet CEOs Of Eight ISL Clubs On August 7 As League Put On Hold
As many as eight ISL clubs had written to the All India Football Federation after the top-tier league was put on hold by the organisers.
The senior officials of the AIFF will meet with the CEOs of eight clubs in the country following their concerns regarding the 'current status and direction" of Indian football, especially since the Indian Super League (ISL) has been put on hold.
Concerned about their future, eight ISL clubs wrote to the All India Football Federation after the top-tier league was suspended by the organisers – Football Sports Development Limited – due to uncertainties surrounding the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with the national federation.
The 15-year MRA between the AIFF and FSDL – the national federation's marketing partners – expires on December 18.
'AIFF officials will meet with CEOs from eight Indian Super League clubs, on Thursday, August 7, 2025, in New Delhi, to discuss issues regarding #IndianFootball," the AIFF tweeted.
Previously, the eight ISL clubs had informed the AIFF that without proper interaction with the AIFF or FSDL, they found it challenging to plan at the level 'that professional football operations require."
'This has impacted not just short-term decisions but is now beginning to affect the structural backbone of our institutions," they wrote.
The letter, which called for a 'constructive dialogue" with the AIFF, was signed by Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Kerala Blasters, NorthEast United FC, Odisha FC, and Punjab FC.
The three Kolkata-based clubs – Mohun Bagan Super Giant, East Bengal, and Mohammedan Sporting – along with Mumbai City FC and Chennaiyin FC were not included.
Last month, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey assured that this season's ISL would be held, although he did not specify the start date of the top-tier domestic competition.
'If the league doesn't take place, it is not only footballers but the people associated with football who will be affected. It's thousands of people who will be affected. So, we will put our best effort to ensure that the league happens," he stated.
On July 11, ISL organisers FSDL announced that the 2025-26 season was 'on hold" due to the uncertainty surrounding the renewal of the MRA signed with the AIFF in 2010.
The ISL typically runs from September to April.
Following a directive from the Supreme Court, the AIFF has been instructed not to negotiate new terms of the MRA with FSDL until a final judgment is delivered in the AIFF draft constitution case.
The Supreme Court may deliver its judgment soon.
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