The Supreme Court will hear on August 22 the AIFF–FSDL row over non-renewal of contracts impacting 11 ISL clubs. The standoff has put the 2025-26 season and Indian football’s future at risk.
New Delhi: On August 18, the Supreme Court of India has fixed August 22 for hearing a major dispute between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) over the future of the Indian Super League (ISL) and its clubs.
The issue has arisen because the agreements between the AIFF and FSDL, which manages the ISL, were not renewed.
This uncertainty has put the future of 11 ISL clubs at risk, with several teams warning that they may have to shut down if the matter is not resolved soon.
The bench of Justices P. S. Narasimha and A. S. Chandurkar will take up the case after amicus curiae Gopal Sankaranarayanan flagged the seriousness of the contract obligations between the federation and the tournament organizers. He urged the Court to give a clear direction on the matter.
Sankaranarayanan told the Court:
“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.”
The ISL clubs recently wrote to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey about the crisis, pointing to the non-renewal of the Master Rights Agreement between the AIFF and FSDL as the main cause of uncertainty.
In their letter, the clubs reminded the federation of the work done over the years:
“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 then warned of the looming danger to Indian football:
“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.”
The tension between the clubs and FSDL became worse when the organizers announced suspension of the 2025-26 ISL season on July 11, throwing club operations into chaos.
The clubs described the present situation in strong words:
“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.”
While eleven major clubs signed this joint letter, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal chose not to sign.
The clubs also expressed worries about India’s future in international football. They said that without a regular functioning league, Indian clubs may lose their chance to play in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournaments since they will not have enough competitive matches to qualify.
Meanwhile, another important issue before the Supreme Court is the approval of the AIFF’s draft constitution, which was prepared by former Supreme Court judge Justice L. Nageswara Rao. The apex court has reserved its verdict on this draft.
The proposed constitution has suggested major reforms in AIFF governance, including tenure limits and age restrictions for office-bearers.
It proposes a maximum twelve-year lifetime limit for holding office, with only two consecutive four-year terms allowed. It also requires a four-year cooling-off period after eight years of service and fixes the age limit at 70 years.
The draft also changes the structure of the AIFF executive committee. Under the new proposal, the committee would have 14 members: one president, two vice-presidents (including one woman), one treasurer, and ten other members.
Out of these ten, five would be eminent players, with two women among them.
For the first time, the draft constitution also introduces a provision to remove office-bearers through a no-confidence motion, something that does not exist in the current rules of the federation.
This ongoing conflict and the pending decision on AIFF’s governance model mean that Indian football is at a crucial turning point. The Supreme Court’s decision on August 22 will play a big role in deciding the future of both the ISL clubs and the AIFF itself.
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