AIFF tries to steady ISL amid club pressure and reform push
India’s top-flight football is facing renewed strain between the AIFF and ISL clubs over cost and operational decisions, as the federation simultaneously pushes a longer-term reset with a new commercial rights process and a nationwide consultation on a first National Football Philosophy.
The All India Football Federation is juggling fresh tension with Indian Super League clubs over league economics and operations while attempting to lock in a longer-term framework for how the sport is run and developed nationwide.The latest flashpoint is club concern over proposed participation fees and how the top division is being administered, with some clubs warning they could reconsider their involvement if the financial model is implemented without changes.Kalyan Chaubey, AIFF president, said: “Football is a matter of national interest. Individuals may change, but the game must go on.”The pressure on the federation is not limited to boardroom issues, with scheduling and logistics also being criticised publicly by senior coaches during the season.Antonio Habas, Inter Kashi head coach, said: “This is stupid. It’s an adulterated competition.“Some teams play more matches at home than away, and then you change venues at the last minute and force travel that affects preparation and recovery.”The coach’s comments underline a broader risk for the league’s commercial product, where competitive integrity, travel load and match operations feed directly into broadcast quality, attendance patterns and sponsor confidence.Against that backdrop, the AIFF has been trying to give the market clearer signals on the league’s continuity and the commercial structure around it.In an official update issued January 6, the federation said the 2025–26 ISL season would commence on February 14, with 14 teams playing a single-leg round-robin format, with detailed fixtures to follow after further consultation with clubs.The federation has also been working through a longer-term commercial rights process, opening bids on March 27 for rights relating to competitions and properties owned by the AIFF.The AIFF said bids were received from three organisations, with FanCode and Genius Sports submitting bids covering the ISL and the Federation Cup, and Capri Sports bidding for the Indian Women’s League and IWL 2.The proposed commercial term submitted in the process was 15 years, with a provision for a five-year extension and a mechanism for annual value increases, placing unusual weight on long-horizon commitments in a market that has recently been defined by short-term uncertainty.At club level, owners have been seeking a more structured voice in decision-making, including proposals aimed at creating a formal working group to engage the federation on the league’s long-term commercial direction.Alongside the rights process, the AIFF has launched a nationwide consultation to develop India’s first National Football Philosophy, describing it as a unified framework to align how football is played, taught and developed across the country.The federation said the exercise is intended to address inconsistencies in talent identification and player development, and that the final framework would guide coach education, competition structures and development programmes.Contributors are being asked to submit views across six areas, covering vision and identity, game model, player profile, development pathways, coaching approach and implementation.Taken together, the parallel tracks show the AIFF trying to stabilise the top-tier league’s economics and governance while building a clearer development narrative for stakeholders, at a moment when clubs, coaches and commercial bidders are all demanding greater certainty.