THE BIDS FOR COMMERCIAL rights to manage and promote the Indian Super League (ISL), the Federation Cup and the Indian Women’s League (IWL 1 and 2) were all up for discussion at the executive committee meeting of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday.
For the ISL and Federation Cup, UK-based Genius Sports offered the highest bid of ₹2129 crore over 20 years (₹63cr in year 1 with 5% annual increment), while Dream Sports-owned FanCode offered ₹1,190cr for the same period (₹36cr in year 1 with 5% annual increment).
Capri Sports were the sole bidders for IWL for an amount reportedly in the ₹150-160 crore range over 20 years.
“After detailed deliberations, the executive committee decided that KPMG will prepare comprehensive comparison tables to evaluate the feasibility, financial structure and key technical aspects of the bids,” the AIFF said in a statement issued Sunday.
Sunday’s decision by the ExCo came after the ISL clubs wrote to the AIFF on Saturday seeking more transparency and clarity to evaluate the bids, though the federation had earlier been inclined towards selecting the highest bidder (read Genius Sports).
While the AIFF ExCo is expected to announce its preferred bidder mid-week, a final decision will only be taken after voting by at least 75% of the general body.
