ISL kickoff delayed further as AIFF fails to find commercial partner

New Delhi: The future of the Indian Super League hangs in the balance as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Friday that it has not received any bids for the commercial rights of the Indian Super League, as the submission deadline closed.

"The deadline for submission of bids in response to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for awarding the right to monetise the Commercial Rights for the Indian Super League concluded today. No bids were received within the stipulated timeframe," the AIFF said in a statement.

The federation added that its Bid Evaluation Committee would meet over the weekend "to review the situation and deliberate on the future course of action."

The development comes three weeks after the AIFF floated the RFP on October 16, inviting bids for a 15-year contract to monetise the league's commercial and media rights. The deadline for bid submission was November 5, with bids scheduled to be opened on November 11.

According to the RFP, only companies with a minimum net worth of ₹250 crore were eligible to bid, with an annual minimum guarantee of ₹37.5 crore payable to the AIFF.

Among the key features of the RFP were a waiver of franchisee fees for ISL clubs from the 2025-26 season, the introduction of a video support system (and subsequently VAR), and the implementation of promotion and relegation from 2025-26 as per the Supreme Court directive.

The new commercial partner would also have been responsible for match production with at least 11 cameras, marketing, media rights sales, and grassroots investment, of which 70 per cent was to be distributed among ISL clubs and the remaining 30 per cent to I-League teams.

The RFP further required the partner to fund grassroots development, ensure transparency in the allocation of media rights, and adhere to a salary cap of ₹18 crore per club, effective from the 2025-26 season.

For the first five years, the commercial partner would have had to provide the football video support system, which would have been upgraded to VAR from Year 6 onwards.

With the deadline lapsing without any bids, the AIFF now faces a fresh challenge in securing a commercial framework for the ISL, the country's top flight that was launched in 2014 amid hopes of transforming Indian football's profile and revenue base.

The failure to attract bidders is likely to raise questions about the league's current commercial viability and the federation's ability to monetise the country's flagship football competition, following the end of its decade-long partnership with Football Sports Development Limited.