No ISL bids; AIFF to seek SC’s direction

ISL STARTS IN SEPTEMBER AND RUNS TILL APRIL. THAT GOT STALLED BECAUSE THE AGREEMENT WITH CURRENT COMMERCIAL PARTNERS EXPIRES IN DECEMBER

- Dhiman Sarkar

KOLKATA: With time running out and clubs likely to play hardball if relegation from the Indian Super League (ISL) is implemented, a desperate All India Football Federation (AIFF) is set to ask the Supreme Court for directions on how to conduct the country’s top men’s competition after it failed to get a commercial partner.

Supervised by the Supreme Court, the bidding process for the 15-year deal ended at 5pm last Friday with no submissions. Retired Supreme Court judge L. Nageswara Rao has been appointed to oversee the process. The bid evaluation committee, chaired by Rao, met on Sunday. The retired judge is expected to submit his report to the court this week. It is likely AIFF will seek to mention the matter in the Supreme Court after that.

The ISL season usually starts in September and runs till April. That got stalled because the agreement with current commercial partners, Football Sports Development Limited, expires in less than a month, on December 8, 2025.