All ISL clubs, except East Bengal, have sent a strong reply to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) telling that the discussions of hosting by the consortium set by the clubs themselves would only be purposeful if two crucial articles in the AIFF constitution, Article 1.54 and 63 are not amended at the earliest.
The letter, sent on Thursday, comes a day after AIFF’s Deputy Secretary General, M. Satyanarayan, wrote to the clubs asking for a call to explore the possibility of jointly hosting the league, to which the reply reads ‘deflects responsibility onto the Clubs while simultaneously citing constitutional restrictions as justification for the Federation’s inaction’.
The Article 1.54 and 63 pertain to the power of authorisation of ownership of the league and its entities, both of which are owned by the AIFF.
“The Clubs remain open and committed to working with the AIFF towards a club-led model, consistent with global best practices. However, for such a model to be financially and operationally viable, Clubs must have commercial flexibility—including the ability to attract sponsors, investors, and long-term partners,” the letter, written by Vinay Chopra, the director of Mohun Bagan Super Giant, on behalf of all clubs, read.
“This is not possible until the commercially restrictive clauses in the AIFF Constitution are amended or removed. Without this change, no sustainable league structure can be built, regardless of good intentions.”
The letter also has mentioned that If the process of finding out a suitable commercial partner through the initiative of AIFF, Union Sports Ministry and the clubs after amendment of the two said articles fails, then Federation may hand over the long-term rights of the league to the clubs, who are prepared.
