ALL INDIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION’S (AIFF) bid to secure a new commercial partner for the Indian Super League (ISL) has fallen flat, with no bidders coming forward before the deadline for the ‘Request for Proposal’ (RFP) closed on Friday.
The development casts fresh uncertainty over the future of India’s top-tier football competition, as the AIFF must now explore alternative means to fund and manage the league once its existing agreement with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) expires on 8th December.
Following approval from the Supreme Court in September for its new constitution, the AIFF issued a tender in mid-October, inviting bids for a 15-year commercial partnership. While several entities had initially expressed interest and submitted queries which the federation addressed by the end of last month, none ultimately agreed to the federation’s terms, which included an annual fee of Rs 37.5 crore and responsibilities covering production, marketing, and broadcast rights for the ISL.
Reacting to the adverse developments (though widely expected among industry circles), reigning ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) have announced the suspension of first-team operations. The club’s Super Cup campaign ended on 31 October after a goalless draw against arch-rivals East Bengal. According to The Indian Express, players were informed that operations might cease entirely if the ISL’s future remains unresolved.
Meanwhile, East Bengal’s senior executive committee member Debabrata Sarkar told PTI that the club continues to operate as usual. East Bengal have progressed to the Super Cup semi-finals, scheduled for 4 December, with the final set for 7 December.
Sarkar also issued a public appeal, “Football is the most popular sport worldwide and also in India. So my appeal is if the BCCI gets ready to sponsor Indian football for at least four-five years, for them Rs 100–150 crore is not much. If they take responsibility, Indian football can move forward in a better way. It can’t get better than this.”
