Bengaluru FC’s director of football, Darren Caldeira, pointed out the All India Football Federation’s hasty approach towards organizing a shortened version of the ISL for the 2025-26 season.
Caldeira wrote on his X account, ‘While we all continue to work tirelessly towards a solution, asking clubs to commit to a league overnight despite there being limited clarity on commercial partners, broadcasters, AFC compliance, and costs incurred seems a bit rushed.’
He pointed out the lack of urgency shown by the AIFF over the past months. He added, “I do understand the time sensitivity, given that December has now passed. However, in that context, the sudden sense of urgency is a little unexpected, particularly given the absence of similar urgency over the past months.”
The Federation had previously met with the clubs on 28th December to discuss a solution for the 2025-26 season, where the teams questioned whether India’s spots in Asia (continental competitions) would remain despite a shortened season.
The AIFF has now asked for confirmation about the exact number of clubs that will play this season and the format, so that the quantity of matches per club can be ascertained.
- Satyanarayan, the deputy secretary general of AIFF, wrote a letter to all ISL clubs, requesting them to also confirm their preferred format in the league, so that the federation can request an exemption from the Asian Football Federation (AFC) accordingly.
According to the AFC rulebook, a team must play a minimum of 24 matches to be eligible to participate in Asian competitions. However, a shortened season would mean there would be significantly fewer matches, and the AIFF would thus seek a special exemption from the AFC.
