It was around 8 o’clock in the evening, and our football correspondent Rahul Giri called to ask if I was good for a call with someone in the Kerala Blasters senior management. Rahul sounded concerned but was keen at the same time.
When we got on the call, the complexity of the situation became clear to me in no time.
“Let me explain the economics to you, Boria,” the person said at the very start. “We earn sponsorship revenue between Rs 15-17 crore when we play at home. We also earn ticket revenue between Rs 5-7 crore. Add Rs 15-17 crore from the central pool, which will now come down to zero. According to the model proposed, we lose the entire ticket revenue, for if there are no home games, the revenue turns null and void. Sponsorship, too, will fall to Rs 5 crore. So the total loss for a truncated season is close to Rs 40 crore. While we all want football to start and the league to happen, how do we digest this volume of loss for this season? Our ownership is extremely concerned.”
By then, both Rahul and I had understood how dire the situation was.
“In the absence of a commercial partner and unless player salary caps are cut significantly, to participate in a truncated league and incur this level of loss is unviable. Also, we don’t want to get suckered into participating in a truncated league unless there is a long-term plan in place. Our ownership is extremely concerned and may I say we all are,” he pointed out.
Kerala has one of the best fan followings in Indian football. The local Kerala Super League is an example of how passionate the fans are. But if games aren’t held there and unless there is a commercial partner on board, even Kerala Blasters are finding it unviable to commit to a truncated league.
“We all want to play. Don’t misunderstand us. But there is a limit to which we can accommodate losses,” said the source.
The situation is dire. Unless FSDL comes forward and bails AIFF out, I don’t see how the ISL can happen. The way forward is simple. The clubs and the AIFF should reach out to FSDL with a plea to help. That’s the best bet to salvage the season. Unless that happens, even a truncated season seems a far cry and the sport might just reach a point of no return in India.
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As the ISL prepares to kick off this season, questions remain over the league’s ability to attract commercial partners. @BoriaMajumdar and @DebasisSen discuss the challenges and implications in detail.@ssen_co #ISL #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/QpfTrgrl3z
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) December 29, 2025
