ISL football match between East Bengal FC and Mohammedan Sporting Club (PTI Photo) New Delhi: FanCode and Dream11-owned Genius Sports have emerged as the two bidders for the commercial rights to the Indian Super League (ISL) and the Federation Cup on the 15+5 model, which was unveiled earlier this month. Capri Sports, a subsidiary of Capri Global, is the only party interested in the rights for the Indian Women’s League (IWL) and IWL 2.After a long day where the 14 ISL clubs were presented with tender documents for the first time and the three bids were evaluated on their technical and financial aspects, everyone involved went back to the drawing board. Genius Sports, the official data feed provider for the English Premier League, Championship and Scottish League, has made an offer of around Rs 2,129 crore over 20 years.In addition to being a data provider, Genius Sports technology is also used for real-time betting odds. This could prove to be a hindrance at a later stage as betting is illegal in India.FanCode, meanwhile, has taken a more pragmatic approach of Rs 36 crore every year with a 5 percent increase, which amounts to around Rs 1,190 crore, almost half of what Genius Sports offered. The AIFF and the ISL clubs will now meet again in the next few days to discuss the details of the tender documents and bids. One club Timesofindia.com spoke to said it would take a few days to make a decision.Capri Sports are the only bidders for IWL and IWL 2 to make an offer of Rs 150 crore over 20 years. GMR Sports, which participated in pre-bid negotiations, ultimately did not make a bid. It is understood that the entity behind many sports ventures, including the IPL’s Delhi Capitals, had asked for more time, but the AIFF did not agree. The Football Federation of India has already moved the bid due date from March 20 to March 26. As for the tender process, it would go beyond media rights. This would mean sponsorship, advertising, digital and data initiatives, merchandising and event business opportunities – creating a long-term deal that consolidates the complete commercial ecosystem of Indian club football.During the initial stages, the AIFF imposed a strict eligibility requirement: companies had to purchase a request for proposal (RFP) for Rs 2.5 million and only such entities could submit bids.
