ISL Sales Fiasco: AIFF Faces Uncertain Future After No Bids Received
Image Source: Internet
Kolkata: In a shocking turn of events, the Indian Super League (ISL) commercial rights sale has failed to attract any bidders, casting a shadow over the future of India's top-tier football competition. The immediate consequence of this development is that ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant have suspended their first team operations, citing uncertainty over the league's future. According to a team official, the players were supposed to resume training on Monday, but due to the lack of clarity on ISL's future, training has been put on hold. Although player and staff salaries will continue to be paid, the uncertainty has left the team in limbo. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has confirmed that no bids were received within the stipulated timeframe, which ended at 5 pm on Friday. The bid evaluation committee, comprising former Supreme Court justice L. Nageswara Rao, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, and Asian Football Confederation's Mr. Kesvaran Murugasu, will convene over the weekend to review the situation and determine the next course of action. The lack of interest in the ISL commercial rights sale comes despite the AIFF changing the deadline from November 5 to November 7. The bid process is supervised by the Supreme Court, and the conditions set by AIFF in the bid document, which was structured with the help of a global accounting firm, have been questioned. The AIFF constitution states that the top-tier league must be owned by the federation, raising questions about why any organization would want to acquire the commercial rights of a competition it cannot own. The bid document required a minimum guaranteed payment of ₹37.5 crore per year or 5% of the gross revenue, whichever was higher, as well as a minimum net worth of ₹250 crore. The latest development comes at a time when Indian football is facing a low point, with the senior team failing to qualify for the Asian Cup finals for the first time since 2019, Mohun Bagan pulling out of the Asian Champions League, and the I-League start date yet to be announced.
