Amid the growing uncertainty over the future of the Indian Super League (ISL), All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey has assured that the country’s top-tier football league will be held this year.
At the same time, he emphasised that the AIFF will not interfere in the internal functioning of clubs, particularly in matters concerning payments to players and staff. His comments come in the backdrop of several ISL clubs suspending their first-team operations indefinitely, following the indefinite postponement of the ISL 2025–26 season.
The decision by the league’s organiser, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), was due to the unresolved status of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with the AIFF. The existing 15-year MRA, signed in 2010, is set to expire on December 18.
In light of the situation, the AIFF invited club CEOs to a meeting in the national capital on Thursday to “discuss issues regarding Indian football.” Following the meeting, Chaubey reiterated the federation’s stance on the ISL and clarified the AIFF’s limited role in club matters.
“The ISL will be held this year. There is no doubt about that,” Chaubey said during a press conference after the meeting.
“At the same time, it’s the club’s decision to pay their players or staff. We can’t intervene — that’s how all top leagues operate,” he added.
With the league’s future still under a cloud, Chaubey also proposed scheduling the Super Cup in September to ensure ISL clubs have sufficient competitive fixtures leading up to the eventual start of the league.
“We are anticipating the Super Cup to take place in the second or third week of September. Some teams need six to eight weeks to complete their preparations and bring back players. In our next meeting, we’ll announce the kick-off date,” Chaubey stated.
The Super Cup, which replaced the Federation Cup in 2018, has mostly been held in Bhubaneswar, except for the 2023 edition that was staged in Kerala. In the most recent tournament, FC Goa, under former India head coach Manolo Marquez, clinched the title with a win over Khalid Jamil’s Jamshedpur FC in the final. Jamil is now the current head coach of the Indian national team.
The winners of this year’s Super Cup will earn a spot in the preliminary round of the AFC Champions League Two, offering a valuable international opportunity at a time of domestic football uncertainty.