THE SUPREME COURT on Friday directed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) to meet and find a solution to the Master Rights Agreement (MRA), preferably within a week.
Talks over the MRA had stalled after the Court ordered the AIFF to refrain from taking major decisions until a case concerning the federation’s constitution was resolved. This effectively froze negotiations and prompted FSDL to put the Indian Super League (ISL) season on hold amid the uncertainty.
In the AIFF Constitution case, a bench of Justice Sri Narasimha and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that judgment was ready but the Court would wait to review the forthcoming National Sports Governance Bill 2025 before delivering a final verdict.
“The current standstill has created immediate and severe consequences. With operations suspended and no certainty on league continuity, several clubs face the real possibility of shutting down entirely,” said the clubs in their letter to AIFF.
This representation reportedly persuaded the Court to make an exception to its earlier order restraining the AIFF from taking major decisions — offering a rare glimmer of optimism after months of uncertainty over India’s top division, particularly as the federation had previously argued it was constrained from acting while the matter was sub judice.
The next hearing is scheduled for 28 August.
