With ISL on hold, AIFF enters new depths of incompetence

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January 2023: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announces Vision 2047, a part of which says India, by 2026, will have a 5-level league pyramid, with 14 ISL teams and 14 I-league teams as the top two layers.

July 2025: The Indian Super League (ISL) is put 'on hold'.

Just try and wrap your head around that. Two years after a grand vision is unfurled, the top division of the country is 'on hold'. Even without the context of 'Vision 2047, it's beyond ridiculous. It's like someone coming up to you and saying the 2025-26 Premier League season 'may or may not happen, we can't say.'

Calling Indian football a circus right now would be a terrible injustice to circuses. After all, when they come to town, circuses bring chaos but also fun and frivolity and a lot of entertainment. This is just pure chaos. Over the past few months, the Indian football ecosystem, which has always seemed to be on the edge, has gone clean off it, spiraling to depths we weren't sure were achievable.

On Friday, the latest depth was explored. Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) -- the Reliance backed entity that runs the ISL -- said it's impossible to plan for a league when their current agreement with the AIFF will expire one-thirds of the way into it and told the clubs that they'd put the league on hold.

The absolute worst part is that everyone saw it coming from a mile off. Negotiations had been on for several months, say sources, with a new ownership structure a key sticking point -- but the federation only decided to constitute a 'negotiation committee' in early April.

And that happened after the Supreme Court had commenced hearing a case regarding the AIFF constitution in late March. Towards the end of April, the SC had reserved its verdict while also directing the current administration to not take any major decision until the final verdict is made on the constitution (that is slated for July 18). Essentially, that's because if the verdict calls for fresh elections, any negotiations with FSDL over the Master Rights Agreement would need to happen with the new committee.

Kalyan Chaubey's reign as AIFF President has been riddled with controversies. AIFF Media

Now, why none of this was decided before the Supreme Court got involved, why a 'negotiation committee' was constituted only in April when we've known for ten years that this agreement expires in early December 2025... those are the kind of things that you stop asking once your initial optimism about Indian football runs out.

We talk about it almost flippantly, but this is an issue that affects the lives of thousands: from the many that are employed by the ISL across playing, non-playing, support departments whose immediate futures are up in the air to the fans, who must be going through some serious emotional upheaval.

It grates so much because it's so basic. Running a league smoothly should probably be classified a primary function of a national football federation but for the first time since the National Football League was introduced in 1996, India faces existential uncertainty over the start of a top division season.

Now, if you want to know what the current system would look like without the ISL all you need to do is look to the wholly-AIFF run second division (formerly first), I-League. Months after the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, we're still not sure who the winners are (sorry, Churchill Brothers), because that's pending a decision at the Court of Arbitration of Sport in Switzerland. A case that was brought about only because the AIFF Appeals Committee said rulings on player eligibility made by the AIFF Leagues Committee and the AIFF Disciplinary Committee were wrong. Naturally. Churchill were awarded the trophy in a grand ceremony and then promptly asked to give it back.

Oh, and we've not even gotten to the Indian national team (men's) yet, have we?

The federation fell out with ex-coach Igor Stimac, fired him, and drama ensued regarding Stimac's compensation for the premature ending of his contract. They finally settled on approx. Rs 3.36 crore (USD 400,000) but that wasn't before Stimac dragged the AIFF, the ISL and anyone else within his reach through the metaphorical mud. The Federation then appointed FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez as their national team head coach, while he still remained FC Goa's coach... and that ended in predictable, dismal failure.

In a press conference called after India's loss to Hong Kong, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey didn't really address any of this, instead choosing to read out the team's results, put on an exceptionally dull defence of his reign, moot suggestions like having a 'world-class striker' give a crash course in finishing to the senior team's forwards, and launch an attack on Bhaichung Bhutia's coaching centres. Atleast, though, the national team director Subrata Paul had narrowed down the key issues a few weeks earlier: to 'player attitude', 'overall team spirit', and *checks notes* 'patriotism'. Nail, meet hammer.

The few positives that exist here happen despite the system, not because of it. Do remember, for instance, that any attempt to pin the success of the remarkable Indian national team (women's) on the AIFF's handling of them must be dismissed forthwith.

The Indian women will mix it with Asia's finest in Australia next year �� A stunning result, a superb 2-1 win over Thailand in Thailand. Sangita Basfore's brace has taken India to the AFC Women's Asian Cup. pic.twitter.com/bcsZlsCxpS - ESPN India (@ESPNIndia) July 5, 2025

For theirs is an incompetence that permeates all layers of Indian football. You don't even have to look too far back: On July 10, the Madras High Court annulled the Tamil Nadu Football Association elections, saying there were procedural lapses (ineligible FA members were allowed to vote) and ordered fresh elections to be conducted soon.

From top to bottom, the Indian football 'pyramid' has rarely been as shaky as it is today. For the average football fan, there's nothing to do but hope, pray, and wait. Right now, the national team (men's) doesn't have a coach. The pending Supreme Court verdict may, or may not, invite FIFA sanctions (anyone remember the chaos before the U17 Women's World Cup?). There may, or may not, be a first division this season. Chaos reigns supreme.

In his introduction to that Vision 2047 document, Kalyan Chaubey had written, "together, we can aspire to take Indian football to peaks never scaled before." Well, at least that 'never before' bit is spot on.

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