I-League club owners have met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviyam and sought his intervention over the delayed football season. (Special arrangements) New Delhi: I-League club owners met in New Delhi on Thursday and met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviyam and other officials to discuss the ongoing crisis in domestic football.Seven I-League clubs – Rajasthan United FC, Sreenidhi Deccan FC, Real Kashmir FC, Diamond Harbor FC, Namdhari FC, Gokulam Kerala FC and Shillong Lajong FC – were represented in the meeting, with Chanmari staying away due to logistical reasons. The eight clubs had boycotted the SOS call by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) a day earlier.During the discussion, Mandaviya heard their concerns about the delayed football season with no end in sight. The minister acknowledged the challenges clubs face in pumping money without any return, especially when no dates are announced for the new season.Mandaviya directed the department to work closely with the clubs, the Kalyan Chaubey-led AIFF, and find a solution to start the new season. In the next move, the ISL and I-League clubs will now have to wait for retired Justice Nageswara Rao to give the Supreme Court’s guidance on the latest situation in Indian football.On Wednesday, the clubs demanded that the AIFF announce the start of the season within 10 days, starting no earlier than December 15 and no later than January 5. The clubs also asked for a single entity to manage the affairs of the three tiers – ISL, I-League and I-League 2.
AIFF convenes physical meeting with ISL clubs
A day after a marathon meeting of executive committee members, I-League clubs, ISL captains and ISL clubs, the Football Federation called a physical meeting of ISL clubs on November 18. In a note, the AIFF said it was “discussing options for the management of the top league between January 1, 2026 and May 31, 2026.”
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Subsequently, it was also announced that the Supreme Court would be asked to list the AIFF matter on November 19. At this hearing, Justice Rao is to inform the court that the AIFF has not found a taker for the commercial rights of ISL.
