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New Delhi: All India Football Federation (AIFF) i Indian Super League (ISL) clubs came to the same platform on Wednesday to announce a deal for a four-year club model at the top of Indian football. It will create a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to manage the commercial aspects of ISL. If all 14 clubs participate, the AIFF will take home Rs 15.4 crore (Rs 1.1 crore each) as administrative fees and 10 per cent of the net profit.TimesofIndia.com understands that an agreement has been reached on three points of contention between the ISL clubs and the AIFF: an independent audit of the SPV; 10% share in net profit and termination clause.
The AIFF will be responsible for refereeing, legality, integrity and anti-doping efforts as the national governing body.Apart from Rs 1.1 crore in the first year, ISL clubs will contribute Rs 1.15 crore, Rs 1.20 crore and Rs 1.25 crore in the next three years. Clubs will have the option to suspend this contract after two years, but will have to give the AIFF due notice.“ISL will be a club-led commercial model. A letter will be sent to all 14 teams asking them to pay participation fees. Based on their responses, a decision will be taken on how the league will continue,” said AIFF Deputy General Secretary M Satyanarayanan.“We are planning this as a four-year model. After two years, the clubs can decide whether they want to exit the model or continue. However, given the way things are going, that probably won’t happen,” he continued.
New Delhi: All India Football Federation (AIFF) Deputy Secretary General M. Satyanarayan addresses a press conference on the plan for the 2026-27 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) as FC Goa Vice President Ravi Puskur, left, looks on in New Delhi. (PTI photo) (PTI07_08_2026_000159B)
The AIFF did not directly accept the club-led model when it was proposed on 14 May. However, the attitude changed after the meeting with the Minister of Sports Mansukh Mandaviya June 8.“(AIFF) has never said that we are not averse to a club-led model. Earlier there was an MRA (Master Rights Agreement) partner (FSDL), which ran the league. And then there was a Supreme Court decision that said AIFF has to own and run the league. So based on that now, we are taking a bit more ownership to run the league,” explained Satyanarayanan.
New Delhi: All India Football Federation (AIFF) Deputy General Secretary M. Satyanarayan, centre, FC Goa vice-chairman Ravi Puskur, left, and NorthEast United FC CEO Mandar Tamhane during a press conference on the plan for the 2026-27 Indian Super League (ISL) season, in New Delhi. (PTI photo) (PTI07_08_2026_000157A)
“Now, as for whether there is a third party like Genius Sport that applied to run the league or when our clubs contacted, they said we have the expertise, we will run it. The right choice for us is to trust our clubs because they are one of our biggest stakeholders. And they know that if they don’t do it well, then they are in trouble. “So this is a model,” he explained.According to the new model, a new entity will be created to oversee the functioning of ISL. His role will include, but not be limited to, attracting sponsors and broadcasters while ensuring the clubs’ long-term financial viability.“We will have a professional team that we will look to appoint. You will see advertisements for positions coming out in the next few days, maybe weeks, where candidates will be interviewed very transparently among the people at the clubs and the AIFF will decide to put on the interview panel. And that professional team will make independent decisions of the league. It will not have any direct influence on the clubs,” FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskar said.
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“Except, of course, for the fact that this professional team reports to the Board of Directors, which will have representatives from the club either at director level or at ownership level. Which will obviously be there to ensure the sustainability of the league is maintained.However, otherwise, the professional team will manage the daily affairs of the league”, he further explained.Genius Sports, which bid Rs 2,130 crore for the commercial rights of ISL and Federation Cup over a cycle of 15+5 years, is still in the fray. Clubs are waiting to hear from the London-based company now that the scope has changed.
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