New Delhi: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Indian Super League (ISL) clubs came on the same platform on Wednesday to announce the agreement of a four-year model led by the club at the top of Indian football. Under this, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be created to manage the business aspects of the ISL. If all 14 clubs participate, the AIFF will take home Rs 15.4 crore (Rs 1.1 crore each) as administration fees and 10 per cent of the net profits.TimesofIndia.com understands that an agreement has been reached on the three sticking points between the ISL clubs and the AIFF: independent auditing of the SPV; 10% share in net profits and a termination clause.
The AIFF will be responsible for refereeing, legality, integrity and anti-doping efforts as the national governing body.Beyond Rs 1.1 crore in the first year, the ISL clubs will contribute Rs 1.15 crore, Rs 1.20 crore and Rs 1.25 crore in the next three years. Clubs have the option to terminate this agreement after two years, but must give the AIFF prior notice.“ISL will be a club-led commercial model. A letter will be sent to all 14 teams asking them to pay participation fees. Based on their responses, a decision will be taken on how the league will proceed,” said AIFF general secretary M Satyanarayanan.“We planned this as a four-year model. After two years, clubs can decide whether they want to exit the model or continue. However, given the way things are going, it probably won’t happen,” he continued.
New Delhi: All India Football Federation (AIFF) Deputy Secretary General M. Satyanarayan addresses a press conference on the roadmap for the 2026-27 Indian Super League (ISL) season, as FC Goa vice president Ravi Puskur, left, sees, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI07_08_2026_000159B)
The AIFF had not directly accepted the club-led model when it was proposed on May 14. But the position changed after a meeting with the Minister of Sports. Mansukh Mandaviya the 8th of June.“(The) AIFF has never said that we are not opposed to a club-led model. Earlier, there was an MRA (Master Rights Agreement) (FSDL) partner, who were running the league. And then there was a Supreme Court decision that said that the AIFF will own and operate the league. So, based on this now, we have taken a little more ownership to explain the Saleagueanarayan league.
New Delhi: All India Football Federation (AIFF) General Secretary M. Satyanarayan, centre, FC Goa vice-chairman Ravi Puskur, left, and NorthEast United FC CEO Mandar Tamhane during a press conference on the road to the 2026-27 Indian Super League (ISL) season, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI07_08_2026_000157A)
“Now, when it comes to a third party like Genius Sport who asked to manage the league or when our clubs presented themselves, they said we have the competence, we will run it. The right choice for us to make is to trust our clubs because they are one of our biggest stakeholders. And they know that if they don’t do it right, then they’re in trouble. So, this is the model,” he said.Under the new model, a new entity will be created, which will oversee the operation of the ISL. His role will include, but not be limited to, attracting sponsors and broadcasters while ensuring the clubs long-term financial sustainability.“We have a professional team that we will try to appoint. You will see advertisements for positions that will come out in the next few days, maybe weeks, where the candidates will be interviewed in a very transparent way between the people of the clubs and the AIFF chooses to put on the panel for interviews. And that professional team will make decisions independent of the league. It will not have any direct influence,” Ravi said the CEO of the Pukar Goa club.
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“Without the fact, of course, that this professional team reports to the Governing Council that will have the representation of the club both at the Director and at the ownership level. That will obviously be there to ensure that the sustainability of the league is maintained.But otherwise, the professional team will run the day-to-day operations of the league,” he further explained.Genius Sports, which had bid Rs 2,130 crore for the commercial rights of the ISL and the Federation Cup for a cycle of 15+5 years, are still in the fray. The clubs are waiting to hear from the London-headquartered company now that the target has changed.
