SC to hear plea on row between AIFF and FSDL over non-renewal of contracts of ISL clubs

The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for August 22 regarding a dispute between the All India Football Federation and Football Sports Development Limited concerning 11 Indian Super League clubs' contracts.The conflict emerged due to non-renewal of agreements between the national federation and tournament organizers. These ISL clubs have expressed concerns about potential closure if the current situation remains unresolved.Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar will hear the case after amicus curiae Gopal Sankaranarayanan highlighted contract obligations."If it does not, the AIFF should be directed to terminate the contract and float a tender. Otherwise the players suffer and after repeated non-payment, we can be sanctioned by the FIFA," Sankaranarayanan said.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The clubs recently communicated their concerns to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey about the crisis stemming from the non-renewal of the Master Rights Agreement between AIFF and FSDL."Over the past 11 years, through sustained investment and coordinated effort, clubs have built youth development systems, training infrastructure, community outreach programmes and professional teams that have elevated India's footballing credibility both domestically and internationally," the clubs wrote in the letter."This progress is now in imminent danger of collapse. 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," they said.The situation intensified when FSDL suspended the 2025-26 season on July 11, leading to operational challenges for several clubs."The 2025-26 ISL season is at risk of not taking place at all. This is not merely an administrative deadlock -- it is an existential crisis for Indian football. We write to you in the gravest of circumstances," the clubs wrote.Eleven prominent clubs signed the letter, while Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal abstained from signing.The clubs expressed concern about India's international football prospects without a functioning league.They also highlighted risks to Indian clubs' participation in Asian Football Confederation tournaments due to insufficient competitive matches.The Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on the AIFF draft constitution prepared by former judge L Nageswara Rao.The proposed constitution includes significant changes to tenure limits and age restrictions for office-bearers.It suggests a maximum twelve-year lifetime limit for holding office, with two consecutive four-year terms allowed.The draft requires a four-year cooling-off period after eight years of service and sets an age limit of 70 years.The executive committee structure would include fourteen members under specific age and tenure restrictions.The committee would comprise one president, two vice-presidents (including one woman), one treasurer, and ten additional members.Among the ten members, five would be eminent players, with two being women.The draft introduces a new provision for removing office-bearers through a no-confidence motion, which is absent in the current AIFF constitution.