Several leading Indian footballers, along with overseas players, have come together to highlight the alarming state of the sport in the country. A video campaign titled “Save Indian Football” was released on social media, on Friday. As 2026 begins, uncertainty still looms over the Indian Super League (ISL), with no clear confirmation on whether the current season will be held. In the video, the players also appealed for intervention from FIFA.
A top federation official said to RevSportz that despite the prolonged delay, the federation remains hopeful for the top-tier league to start.
“It remains our top priority to restart the top-tier league at the earliest possible time so players can return to competitive football and clubs can receive the support they need. A short-term proposal has already been circulated among the clubs, but the federation is still waiting for clarity on crucial operational aspects, including whether the league will be staged across two venues, at a single centralised venue, or in a home-and-away format,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The clubs had earlier requested the federation to approach the AFC to seek relaxation of certain requirements. However, this cannot be done until the number of matches to be played this season is finalised—another decision still pending from the clubs. Alongside the short-term plan, the federation has also submitted a long-term proposal, which it describes as strong and well-received.
The AIFF official also made it clear that they are willing to own, operate, and organise the league itself if required. However, it is now up to the clubs to come together and reach an unanimous decision on both the short-term roadmap—mainly when and how to start the league—and the long-term structure. While the government has recently passed certain clauses of the Sports Act, the official pointed out that these do not significantly affect the league’s operations.
According to the official, “From the federation’s side, all preparations are in place. The stalemate persists as new issues continue to arise, though we still hope for a resolution as early as possible.”
Clubs have repeatedly asked for clarity on the long-term roadmap and the status of commercial and broadcast partners. The clubs have proposed that if they are granted the rights, then they would themselves bring in a commercial partner to kick-start the league. The federation, however, has questioned this approach, asking who those partners would be.
“We want to reiterate that only a transparent RFQ process can determine commercial partners under the new terms and conditions. The federation has emphasised that it cannot pre-decide or name any partner, as the tender process must remain open and fair,” according to the official.
The AIFF has proposed a 20-year roadmap, under which clubs would become shareholders, holding a majority stake, with the remaining share going to a new commercial partner. According to the federation official, this addresses long-standing demands from the clubs.
“The next step is, once the supreme court reopens on January 5, the AIFF will be jointly approaching the ministry with an agreed short-term and long-term plan and seek the necessary approvals. Only after that can the RFQ process begin,” the official said.
On the possibility of FSDL returning as the commercial partner, the official said no such assurance can be given. Given that past legal battles focused on how rights were previously awarded, directly inviting FSDL back would be inappropriate. If an RFQ is issued, FSDL—like any other eligible bidder—may choose to participate, depending on the court’s directions.
The official reiterated that it is open to any party willing to invest and support the league, acknowledging that it does not currently have the financial resources to run everything independently. Despite the challenges, it insists it is making continuous efforts, holding daily meetings, and pushing for consensus, even as clubs face their own internal pressures from owners.
For now, the federation says it is ready and waiting for all stakeholders to come together so that the league can finally move forward. It goes to be seen if there is some sort of solution reached in the meeting between the clubs and the three-member AIFF committee, along with the deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan, scheduled to take place on Saturday.
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