AIFF reveals holding ‘constructive and positive’ talks with FSDL on ISL MRA ahead of Supreme Court hearing

Representatives of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) met on Monday amid their ongoing dispute over the Indian Super League (ISL) Master Rights Agreement (MRA) that has cast a shadow on Indian football as a whole.

And in a statement released late on Monday, AIFF – the national governing body for the sport – insisted that the discussions with ISL organisers FSDL were held in a “constructive and positive spirit”, adding that a joint proposal will be submitted before the apex court on Thursday, 28 August.

AIFF confident of arriving at mutually-agreed proposal with FSDL soon

“As directed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, representatives of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) met on Monday, August 25, 2025, to deliberate on the way forward for the 2025-26 football season,” the AIFF wrote in its statement.

“Both parties approached the discussions in a constructive and positive spirit and expressed confidence in arriving at a mutually agreed proposal that will ensure the continued development and progress of football in India.

“The joint proposal will be submitted before the Hon’ble Supreme Court on August 28. The parties will make no further comments while the matter is sub-judice,” it added.

The MRA, which had originally been signed in 2010, is set to expire in December this year – at which point the 12th ISL season would have already been underway. The conflict between the two organisations has led to a situation of unease among the ISL clubs, with a few of them having suspended first-team operations and frozen player and staff salaries.

As many as 11 clubs have reached out to the Kalyan Chaubey-led AIFF warning of their permanent shutdown if the ongoing MRA dispute was not resolved in time, with the clubs making a similar plea before the two senior lawyers who are assisting the Supreme Court in the ongoing case.

The AIFF, meanwhile, has decided to Super Cup – which normally takes place around the month of April – ahead of the ISL season for a change in order to ensure that the clubs continue to play while they arrive at a consensus with the FSDL.