New Delhi, Aug 18: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on August 22 a matter involving a row between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and FSDL over the fate of 11 Indian Super League (ISL) clubs due to the non-renewal of their contracts with the national federation and the tournament’s organisers.
The 11 ISL clubs have warned the AIFF that they “face the real possibility of shutting down entirely” if the ongoing impasse regarding the future of the top-tier domestic competition is not resolved soon.
A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar agreed to hear the plea after amicus curiae and senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan submitted that during the tenure of the contract, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has to honour it by conducting the ISL.
“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 bench said it would hear the matter on Friday.
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 (MRA) between the national federation and the ISL organisers, FSDL, has “paralysed professional football in India”.
“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.
The crisis surfaced after FSDL, the ISL organisers as well as the AIFF’s commercial partner, put the 2025-26 season “on hold” on July 11 due to uncertainty over the renewal of the MRA, prompting at least three clubs to either pause first-team operations or suspend player and staff salaries.
“The 2025-26 ISL season is at risk of not taking place at all. This is not merely an administrative deadlock — it is an existential crisis for Indian football. We write to you in the gravest of circumstances,” the clubs wrote.
The letter was signed by 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. Kolkata heavyweights Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal did not sign the letter.
The clubs said the impasse will also impact India’s readiness for international matches, adding that “without a functioning league, our national team will be severely disadvantaged in upcoming AFC and FIFA tournaments”.
They also said that without the ISL, they will not be able to play a minimum number of competitive matches for participating in continental competitions, thereby risking the suspension of Indian clubs from Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournaments.On April 30, the top court reserved its verdict on the issue of finalisation of the AIFF draft constitution prepared by former apex court judge L Nageswara Rao. (PTI)
