TEN I-LEAGUE CLUBS have appealed to the Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae in the ongoing AIFF constitution case, pressing for the introduction of promotion and relegation between the I-League and the Indian Super League (ISL) from the coming seasons.
The joint representation, accessed by Sportstar, was addressed to Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Advocate Samar Bansal.
“We may mention that we are not parties before the Hon’ble Supreme Court in this ongoing litigation, but remain acutely affected by it,” the clubs wrote in their letter.
The clubs urged the amicus curiae to present their perspective before the Supreme Court “in the same manner as you have done on 22.08.2025 on behalf of the ISL clubs.”
The letter further stated, “As things stand, the AIFF’s inability to sign a new Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with FSDL (Football Sports Development Limited) has led to a virtual suspension of all leagues below ISL as well.”
Signatories include Aizawl FC, Namdhari FC, Rajasthan United, Dempo SC, Gokulam Kerala, Real Kashmir, Sreenidi Deccan, and Shillong Lajong from last season, along with newly promoted Diamond Harbour FC and Chanmari FC from I-League 2. Excluded from the letter were last season’s champion Inter Kashi, runner-up Churchill Brothers, and the relegated sides Sporting Club Bengaluru and Delhi FC.
Highlighting the difficulties caused by the lack of clarity, the clubs wrote, “Due to the pending court case, the undersigned clubs have not received any engagement from the AIFF. This information asymmetry is creating significant difficulties, which include but are not limited to playing calendar, fixture finalisation, venue confirmation, broadcasting, and production costs, sports technology investments, club entry fees, subsidy structures, and budget provisioning, prize money structure and league composition.”
The clubs reminded the court that the AFC Roadmap, jointly agreed with the AIFF in 2019, had clearly envisaged a promotion and relegation system between the ISL and the I-League. They warned that “any deviation from this agreed framework would risk turning the ISL into a closed league, contrary to the principles of fair competition.”
They added that the absence of a merit-based pathway would “not only undermine the competitive spirit of the football pyramid in India but also demotivate I-League clubs from further investment and professional development.”
The Supreme Court has asked both AIFF and FSDL to find a resolution on the MRA before the next hearing on 28 August. Should an agreement be reached, the clubs are seeking a promotion-relegation model for the future, along with ‘transparent and timely communication from the AIFF.’
The clubs concluded, “… We may only urge that the matter is time-sensitive and the livelihood of hundreds of players, thousands of supporting staff, not to mention lakhs of football fans, shall also be impacted by these proceedings.”
