Indian Super League speculations have come to an end, and officials have confirmed that the most essential thing for Indian football will start again from 14th February. After months of uncertainty, clashes, disagreements and more than anything, insecurities as the ISL is expected to kick off really soon, AIFF has confirmed that they are studying the top leagues and has taken reference to make ISL sustainable for the long-term picture. The delay saw its start when Football Sports Development Limited backed off to renew the master rights plan with AIFF, following months of uncertainty, and Indian football's future was in jeopardy.
Following the months of delay, Indian star players like Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jinghan and other prominent footballers came together in a video and asked FIFA to help Indian football in this difficult situation. Following that, the process has get fast track to move.
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As the starting process has begun now, AIFF is looking forward to making structural changes to avoid chaos in the future.
What is AIFF’s plan?
The AIFF is looking forward to making its roadmap for the next 21 years, which includes an all-powerful governing council and a management committee. A management committee and a governing council will be structured to oversee the two leagues' regulatory and operational planning, and in both bodies, there will be three seats for the commercial rights partners.
The AIFF shared the governing and managing council policies with the 14 ISL clubs, including the 2025-26 season, on Tuesday.
“It’s a roadmap for the next 21 years about how the country’s top two leagues are going to be managed, administered, promoted and developed by these two bodies. We have taken references from some of the top leagues of the world and proposed to implement the global best practices into India’s top two football leagues,” AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey told as cited by PTI.
According to a suggestion made by stakeholders, the 22-member governing council will be led by either the president or vice-president of the AIFF and will serve as the ISL's highest supervising body. The AIFF secretary-general will lead the management committee, which will be responsible for ensuring the league runs smoothly.
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“We have done a thorough study on how some of the best football leagues are run; we have followed their structures before framing these policies,” Chaubey added.
The governing council will be made up of 14 club owners, three AIFF office bearers, three members nominated by commercial partners, and two independent partners with no conflicts of interest.
The body will convene once a year, preferably three months before the league begins, to make financial and other key decisions.
