ISL clubs submit four-year plan, offer Rs 15.4 crore to AIFF after sports ministers meet

All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey and Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya NEW DELHI: Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday assured Indian Super League (ISL) clubs that the upcoming 2026-27 season will go ahead as planned. But in a major development, the club’s draft has been finalized for another four years. Under the new structure, the clubs will pay Rs 1.1 million each, which comes to Rs 15.4 million if all 14 teams play.The meeting, proposed last week without an agenda, was held at the SAI office in New Delhi. It comes at a time when the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and ISL clubs are at an impasse over the long-term vision of the sport in the country. While the AIFF wants to appoint Genius Sports as a commercial partner, the teams have suggested a club-led model.Mandaviya met ISL clubs, AIFF officials and former AIFF president Praful Patel, who is currently the head of the West Indies Football Association, to broker peace and suggest a way forward.In the latest proposal, the ISL clubs proposed a two-year club-led model, with the AIFF receiving Rs 15 crore annually. It is higher than the Rs 12.4 crore that the national federation would have earned had it followed the commercial model of Genius Sports 15+5 years.It is worth noting that AIFF received Rs 50 crore from FSDL, former commercial partners in the league. After administration fees from Genius Sports, the federation hopes to charge clubs an entry fee. This proposal was strongly opposed by the clubs.During the meeting, the clubs also asked the government to intervene in the stadium lease and fees, which were a challenge for the clubs.According to the calendar proposed by the AIFF, the men’s football season will run from 1 June to 31 May 2027.