Subrata Dutta, former vice-president of All India Football Federation (AIFF) is not in favour of the profit-sharing model proposed by Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the marketing partners of the federation. FSDL, in its proposed Master Rights Agreement (MRA) to the AIFF for the Indian Super League (ISL), suggested a shift from an annual-fee arrangement to profit-sharing model. According to the new proposal from FSDL, AIFF would receive a smaller percentage of the overall profits, potentially a 14% share.
Speaking to Revsportz, Dutta said, “The newly elected body of AIFF should not accept the new proposal of FSDL which suggests a shift from an annual-fees arrangement to profit-sharing model. One must keep in mind the football federation is not a commercial entity unlike other sports bodies in the country.”
The AIFF has already formed a task force to examine the Marketing Rights Arrangement and negotiate with FSDL. But a division bench of Supreme Court comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Wednesday ordered the AIFF to refrain from making any major policy decisions, including negotiations to extend the MRA with its marketing partner FSDL, until fresh elections were conducted.
According to Dutta, “The Supreme Court has made the right decision. It will also oversee the drafting of a new constitution for the AIFF. Once a new governing body is elected, it will have the authority to engage in discussions with the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL). If FSDL chooses not to renew its contract, the newly elected body will be empowered to issue a fresh tender.”
He further added, “FSDL holds the Right of Refusal first. If they choose not to exercise this right, the AIFF is permitted to issue a public tender inviting interested parties to look after the marketing rights of the federation.”
During Dutta’s tenure as vice-president, AIFF had a media and marketing agreement with Zee Sports, which was later taken over by IMG-Reliance—now known as FSDL. As part of the takeover, IMG-R agreed to settle all outstanding dues owed by Zee to AIFF. Under the financial terms, IMG-R was committed to paying more than ₹50 crore to the AIFF, with 20% of the amount exceeding ₹50 crore designated for AIFF.
The apex court identified the current AIFF administration, headed by President Kalyan Chaubey, as an interim body. It emphasised that under the election model code of conduct, the federation is prohibited from making any key decisions until the final order is issued. The next step will be the conduct of AIFF elections, which will take place once the Supreme Court approves the revised AIFF constitution—drafted by former Supreme Court judge Justice L Nageswara Rao and already submitted to the court.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the AIFF must refrain from taking any action that could influence the upcoming elections. To ensure a level playing field, a model code of conduct will be established, and the current AIFF body must not leverage its position to gain any undue advantage. As a result, all developmental programs and promotional events will be suspended temporarily. However, this pause should not impact the overall progress of Indian football.