New Delhi: Not only did the All Indian Football Federation receive a no-cash proposal from their marketing partners during negotiations for master rights agreement renewal, they were also made aware of intentions to exempt the Indian Super League from promotion and relegation in the next few years.
Reliance-owned Football Sports Development Limited, the federation’s marketing partners, tabled these proposals in a meeting in Mumbai on March 5, as part ongoing negotiations over renewal of an existing 15-year marketing rights deal that was signed in 2010 and ends in December, News9 Sports can reveal.
The ISL began in 2014 with eight franchises bankrolled by some of India’s major corporate houses and was approved as Indian football’s premier competition in 2019 after all its key stakeholders agreed on following a roadmap prepared by the Asian Football Confederation.
In a meeting at AFC’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on October 14, the ISL attained top tier status from the 2019-20 season with recommendation of promotion beginning for I-League champions from 2022-23 season and relegation from 2024-25.
While promotion began in 2023-24 with Punjab FC becoming the first team to vault into ISL as I-League champions, followed by Mohammedan Sporting, relegation is yet to be introduced despite AFC reminding it to the AIFF on June 4, last year.
At its executive committee on July 20, 2024, the federation approved the decision not to introduce relegation in ISL from 2024-25 and has given assurance to dwell on the new proposal placed in the meeting on March 5.
‘Closed League’
Initially a closed league modelled on the Major League Soccer of USA, eight founding teams of the ISL paid around Rs 15 crore ‘franchises fee’ each for 10 years in return of getting a similar amount from a sponsorship revenue pool.
This agreement ended after conclusion of the 2023-24 season, with clubs entering later through a bid legally bound to keep paying the fee till completion of their 10 years in the tournament.
News9 Sports understands that while putting forward this proposal, safeguarding the interests of the clubs who have invested hundreds of crores to be part of the ISL was pointed out, while also reminding that dire consequences and overall negative impact on the entire footballing ecosystem if these teams get relegated.
Hence a reprieve from promotion and relegation was mooted, though ISL could retain the right to include any team or drop them subject to fulfilment of licensing criteria, as well as pointing out to the AIFF that since the Rs 15 crore per team rule will cease to exist in the future, expectation to receive Rs 50 crore per year fee for marketing rights shouldn’t be harboured.
Should this proposal be accepted if and when a new agreement is agreed on, it could leave I-League clubs totally demotivated, having earlier raised the topic of relegation at a meeting with the AIFF on February 6.
“That’s the right progress for Indian football,” owner of an I-League club said, sarcasm dripping from each of his words.
Control over ownership
It is also believed this proposal, should it be accepted, would provide a sense of security to existing teams and guarantee ownership of teams that would be allowed to play in the league in a ‘pay per play’ model.
“This guarantees ownership of the clubs and exercises a control over the ownership of teams,” a top official of another I-League club pointed out.
Officials of ISL clubs, the AIFF, FSDL weren’t willing to speak on the matter, preferring to adopt a wait-and-watch policy.
But it did force the AIFF to call its senior officials into a meeting in Kolkata on March 9, where the proposals and possibilities were discussed, though a formal decision could only be taken by its executive committee after informing all its 36-voting state association members.
The AIFF is yet to fix a date for its next executive committee meeting after dropping plans to hold it in Shillong during India’s AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh on March 25.
AIFF and its marketing partners are yet to introduce relegation in ISL, in contravention of the Indian football roadmap prepared by the AFC in 2019. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
