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AIFF publishes bid document; deadline missed: clubs
Federation seeks minimum of ₹37.5 crore per year as guaranteed payment; bidders’ net worth must be at least ₹250 crore
Kolkata: Ten clubs have written to All India Football Federation (AIFF) saying they are concerned at the deadline to appoint commercial partners for the top league being missed. Stating that this amounts to a breach of trust, the clubs have also told AIFF to not take their cooperation for granted.
The clubs have told AIFF that the federation and its commercial partners had told the Supreme Court that the selection process would be completed by October 15.
Late on Thursday, AIFF published on its website a Request For Proposal (RFP) document for the top league that seeks a minimum guarantee amount of ₹37.5 crore per year or 5% of the gross revenue, whichever is higher, for the next 15 years. The last date for clarification is October 21 and no bid can be submitted after 5pm on November 5, the document says. Bidders must furnish ₹10 lakh as security deposit, the document says.
The document also states that the bidder or consortium, comprising no more than three members, must have ₹250 crore minimum net worth at the end of the financial year 2024-25. Bidders will be graded as per their net worth on a scale of 1 to 6, the maximum marks allocated to those who are worth ₹501 crore and above. A committee comprising former Supreme Court justice L. Nageswara Rao, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey and Mr. Kesvaran Murugasu of the Asian Football Confederation as an independent member will evaluate all the bids, it has been decided.
Earlier on Thursday, one day after deadline given in the Supreme Court, the clubs wrote to AIFF saying they have committed to take part in the Super Cup “in good faith”. The Super Cup, India’s cup competition, is scheduled to start in Goa on October 25.
The decision to participate in the Super Cup has had “significant logistical and contractual implications – from assembling squads, securing venues…to re-engaging staff and vendors.” The decision wase taken “trusting the AIFF would act in accordance with its submission to the Supreme Court,” the letter says.
Barring Mohun Bagan Super Giant, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting, every club who played in the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) is represented in the letter. HT has seen the letter.
The clubs have said they are willing to cooperate with AIFF “but this goodwill cannot continue to be taken for granted.” The uncertainty over the league, the letter says, has “made financial planning, sponsorship discussions, and player commitments nearly impossible to sustain. Moreover, the current situation represents a breach of trust — one that risks undoing the collective progress made in professionalising Indian football over the past decade.”
Dempo for Real Kashmir
Dempo Sports Club will return to India’s cup competition for the first time since the Super Cup replaced Federation Cup in 2018. Dempo will replace Real Kashmir who have pulled out, the AIFF said on X on Thursday. Five-time I-League champions when it was India’s top tier league, Dempo will take part without any foreign player in a tournament that allows six on the pitch, a club official said.
