FSDL unlikely to walk away from Indian football despite waiving rights granted under existing ISL MRA: Report

Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the organisation that has been running the Indian Super League (ISL) since its inception in 2014, isn’t likely to walk away from Indian football any time soon. This despite them agreeing to waive their contractual Right of First Negotiation and Right to Match granted to them in the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) signed with the the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in 2010.

The decision to waive the rights granted to them in the MRA signed on 8 December, 2010 was part of the joint-proposal submitted by the FSDL and AIFF before the Supreme Court on Thursday. The Kalyan Chaubey-led AIFF, which is the governing body for football in the country, added that they will be inviting a tender for the selection of a commercial partner for the ISL, and will be aiming to conclude the process by 15 October.

FSDL reaches out to ISL clubs after amid dispute with AIFF

According to The Times of India, FSDL had reached out to the ISL clubs in a 40-minute virtual call later on Thursday, assuring them that they will not be bidding Indian football goodbye anytime soon.

“We had a chance to speak to FSDL and got a better understanding of their thought process in stepping back from their rights in such a magnanimous way. They have backed Indian football for a long time, and hopefully once the tendering process is done, they’ll be around to keep guiding the game like they always have,” a club official who had attended the meeting with FSDL told the newspaper.

FSDL, it is believed, isn’t likely to sever ties with football anytime soon given how much they have invested in the sport over the last 15 years.

“FSDL did what it could to ensure that the process is transparent and smooth. Given the scale of its investments over the last 15 years, they are unlikely to step away. Everyone is now keen to see the tender document; if the base price and tenure is sensible, FSDL will be in contention,” the official added.

Besides the FSDL waiving its rights and the AIFF conducting the selection process for the commercial partner, the joint-proposal also mentioned likely dates for the Super Cup and the 12th season of the ISL – which were September and December respectively.

With the current MRA set to expire in December this year, the 2025-26 season of the ISL had to be put on hold in June this year, which has resulted in multiple clubs suspending operations.