 "Likely dates for Super Cup, ISL revealed as AIFF, FSDL submit joint proposal before Supreme Court")
In a joint proposal with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that was submitted before the Supreme Court of India on Thursday, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) – which has been organising the Indian Super League (ISL) since its inception in 2014 – has agreed to waive its contractual right of first negotiation and right to match under the original Master Rights Agreement (MRA) dated 8 December 2010.
People close to the development said, “Our commitment to Indian football against our own commercial interest, FSDL is enabling AIFF to do this in the larger good of the sport and footballers by giving an NOC and relinquishing its Right of First Negotiation and Matching Right.”
FSDL is currently engaged in a dispute with the Kalyan Chaubey-led national federation over the Indian top-flight competition’s MRA, which has thrown the 2025-26 season of the ISL into a state of uncertainty and forced multiple teams to suspend operations.
AIFF set to invite tender for ISL commercial partner
The AIFF, meanwhile, has confirmed that the Super Cup will be going ahead in September as previously suggested while adding that they will be conducting an “open, competitive and transparent tender” to select a commercial partner for the ISL by October.
The joint proposal as set 15 October as the date by which the process of selecting the new ISL commercial partner is to be concluded. Also included in the joint-proposal was a possible date for the start of the 12th ISL season – December this year – although that will ultimately depend on the approval of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
“The AIFF has agreed that: It will conduct an open, competitive and transparent tender (or equivalent process) for selection of a commercial partner to conduct the ISL in line with global best practices,” the resolution submitted before the court stated.
“Such process will be conducted in conformity with the National Sports Development Code 2011, the National Sports Governance Act 2025, the AIFF Constitution, and applicable FIFA/Asian Football Confederation (AFC) regulations.
“The process may be managed by an independent professional firm of repute, such as one of the ‘Big Four’ or an entity of equivalent standing,” it added.
The development comes after FIFA threatened India with a ban, which would have affected its national teams as well as clubs, unless the AIFF implemented the new constitution by 30 October. It also comes three days after the AIFF and FSDL held "constructive and positive" talks with regards to their ongoing dispute over the ISL MRA.
The Supreme Court of India, additionally, has set 1 September has the date for announcing its verdict on the AIFF constitution case that they have been looking into since 2017. The court had directed the formulation of a new constitution based on what was submitted by former SC judge Justice L. Nageswara Rao in 2023, but is yet to deliver a verdict on the same.
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