New Delhi: Eight of 13 Indian Super League clubs seek a dialogue with the All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey since they face operational challenges that have “paralyzed” their youth operations.
With the ISL put on an indefinite hold amid a contractual deadlock on master rights agreement between the AIFF and its marketing partners, Reliance subsidiary Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), clubs have decided to approach Chaubey with a “sense of shared concern and responsibility”.
Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Punjab FC, Hyderabad FC, Kerala Blasters, Odisha FC, NorthEast United and Jamshedpur FC want clear communication with Chaubey to prevent erosion of a structure that they put in place over the years once the Supreme Court halted negotiations between the AIFF and FSDL.
The two parties had rejected offers and counter offers in April, leading to the apex court putting a stop to formal communications, adding that any agreement would have to be signed with a new committee that comes into power after elections.
The Court has also reserved its judgement on AIFF’s constitution, based on which elections would be held at a yet-to-be-decided date.
It led to five of the eight signatories (BFC, Goa, HFC, KBFC and OFC) pulling out of the ongoing Durand Cup due to the prevailing uncertainty in Indian football.
Reigning ISL Cup and Shield champions Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting, Mumbai City and Chennaiyin FC haven’t signed on the letter in possession of News9 Sports. It wasn’t immediately clear why they haven’t signed on in the letter.
“…in the absence of proper interaction and a lack of taking clubs into confidence — either from the All India Football Federation or its commercial rights holder — clubs now find themselves unable to plan with the level of visibility and certainty that professional football operations require,” the clubs wrote.
“This has impacted not just short-term decisions but is now beginning to affect the structural backbone of our institutions. Activities such as youth development, player recruitment, staffing, budgeting, and grassroots programming—all of which require months of advance planning—have become increasingly difficult to sustain.
“The longer this uncertainty continues, the greater the risk that years of hard-won progress may begin to unravel. Worryingly, most clubs have also been forced to paralyse their youth operations due to the current climate—halting scouting, coaching, and academy-related activities.
“This puts at risk the very developmental structures that have taken years to build and which were intended to serve as a long-term pipeline for Indian football talent.
‘Challenging environment’Since continued participation in competitions at every age-group level requires “substantial operational and financial commitments”, clubs find sustainability a challenge in a climate where “clarity on the season’s structure, central revenues, and scheduling remains elusive”.
“We believe that now, more than ever, constructive dialogue between the AIFF and the participating clubs is critical. We therefore respectfully request a formal opportunity for consultation with your honorable self so that we may align on the present landscape and collaboratively explore how best to navigate this period in a manner that safeguards the collective future of Indian football. Our intent is to understand — and to contribute wherever possible to — the process of resolution,” the clubs said.
Chaubey had recently assured that ISL will be held in the 2025-26 season, though he didn’t offer any specific date or time frame for the tournament that usually runs from September to April.
An AIFF official confirmed acceptance of the letter but declined to comment, insisting a formal statement will be put out soon.
“We appreciate your collective intent and constructive approach towards the development and stability of Indian football. In view of the proposed meeting to discuss the concerns raised, may we kindly request you to confirm the name of the official representative who will be attending from each club,” AIFF’s deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan replied in an acknowledgement note.
