Football waits in hope as AIFF meets partners

The end of the Durand Cup was also the beginning of uncertainty in the men’s game for all barring Mohun Bagan, FC Goa and players in the India camps. With the Supreme Court clearing the way for talks to resume between AIFF and its commercial partners FSDL, every stakeholder in football will hope for clarity at the earliest, possibly in Monday's meeting in Bengaluru.

- Dhiman Sarkar

Bagan and Goa are training for the AFC Champions League 2 main round beginning next month. So, when some ISL clubs have suspended salaries, Bagan announced on Saturday that they have signed India defender Mehtab Singh from Mumbai City FC.

For all other clubs, no football means continuation of off-season or being forced into a holiday one month after beginning preseasons. Ergo, crisis. In such a time AIFF and Reliance subsidiary FSDL will meet. Being able to announce dates for the start of ISL and Super Cup by then would be one way for both parties to say, “let's football”.

“Do that and clubs will start preparations for the 2025-26 season,” said the CEO of an ISL club. Like everyone else HT spoke with, the official did not wish to be named.