The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its order on issues pertaining to the master rights agreement between the All India Football Federation and Reliance-controlled Football Sports Development Ltd, which is necessary for holding the Indian Super League this season.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi said it will pass a short order on the urgent issue of MRA and thereafter, pronounce the verdict on the constitution of the AIFF.
“First, we will pronounce a short order and then we will pronounce the verdict on the constitution. The judgment is ready but we have not pronounced it as there is uncertainty over the Act coming into force,” Justice Narasimha remarked.
Per PTI, the bench inquired from Additional Solicitor General (ASG) KM Nataraj about the time required for the government to establish rules and modalities to enforce the National Sports Governance Act of 2025.
The ASG responded that the process is ongoing and could take anywhere from one to six months for the Act to come into force. The bench then clarified that the judgment will be valid until the Act is enforced.
Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, representing the AIFF, informed the court that the federation agreed to conduct an open, competitive, and transparent tender (or equivalent process) to select a commercial partner for managing the ISL, adhering to global best practices.
Kumar read from the resolution, stating this process will align with the National Sports Development Code-2011, the National Sports Governance Act-2025, the AIFF constitution, and applicable FIFA or Asian Football Confederation (AFC) regulations.
