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Super Cup start to season, league to follow: AIFF
AIFF will host the Super Cup before the ISL, aiming for a September start, ensuring player payments amid ongoing negotiations and uncertainty.
New Delhi: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) will conduct the Super Cup before the Indian Super League (ISL), federation president Kalyan Chaubey said on Thursday following a meeting with CEOs of all 13 ISL clubs here on Thursday. The decision is to ensure the season starts and players and staff are paid by their respective ISL clubs.
The dates of Super Cup are under consideration but it will be held after India’s campaign in the CAFA Nations Cup in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan from August 29. India’s last group match in CAFA Nations Cup is on September 4 while the final is scheduled on September 8.
“Super Cup should be held in the second or third week of September. Some of the teams need six to eight weeks to complete their pre-season. So, in our next meeting we will be in a position to announce the date of kick-off of Super Cup,” said Chaubey.
With negotiations on the master rights agreement on hold following a Supreme Court observation – and AIFF’s commercial partners not keen on ISL till a new deal is signed – there is no clarity on ISL. But Chaubey assured that the ongoing tumultuous season will have AIFF’s cup competition and ISL.
“ISL is the top league of the country and it will happen. Last year, it started on September 14 and the year before, on September 21. This year, it may be delayed by 6-8 weeks but I don’t see a possibility of it not taking place,” Chaubey told HT.
Besides dates, the number of matches in the ISL season remain “a matter of discussion with the clubs.”
AIFF and the clubs will reconvene in 7-10 days. In that time, the clubs will consider filing an intervention appeal with the Supreme Court. AIFF is okay with clubs doing that because it could end the uncertainty around ISL this term, said a federation official.
This was the first time since 2019 that the AIFF, its commercial partners and ISL clubs were in the same room.
Barring Odisha FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, and East Bengal —who attended the meeting virtually — the representatives from all ISL clubs were present for an in-person meeting. However, only FC Goa and NorthEast United were part of the press conference that followed the meeting. Both CEOs refused to divulge much.
“I don’t think we have had time to actually sit down and digest all the information. You will have to give us a little bit of time because you can’t just press a button and then things fall into place. We are all here because we want the game to continue. Make of it what you want,” said FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur.
The issue of some clubs holding back salaries of players and staff did not come up for discussion. “It’s a matter between the clubs and their players. But when players will get gametime and the tournaments will happen, obviously the clubs will pay,” said Chaubey.
