NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to bring forward the Super Cup to the September–December window, as the future of the Indian Super League (ISL) remains uncertain. With the slot originally reserved for the ISL’s opening round now vacant, the Cup tournament will take its place.
The AIFF president recently met with ISL club chiefs and finalised plans for the tournament, whose winner will earn a spot in the AFC Champions League Two preliminaries.
“Super Cup will be held before the ISL due to club concerns, tournament format might also be modified. We are anticipating (Super Cup) should be in the second or third week of September. Some teams need 6–8 weeks to complete prep and bring back players. In our next meeting, we’ll announce the kick-off date,” Kalyan Chaubey, the AIFF president, said.
“Eight ISL clubs raised concerns over certainty of league on 28th July. All ISL clubs were present in the meeting with Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Odisha FC represented virtually. Another meeting with the clubs will be held within a week or two,” he added.
The ISL, India’s top-tier men’s football league, is organised by Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) under a Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with the AIFF.
With the MRA expiring in December and the Supreme Court halting further negotiations until it rules on the AIFF constitution, talks over a new deal have stalled.
The resulting uncertainty has disrupted the primary revenue stream for clubs. Several teams — including Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, and Odisha FC — have temporarily suspended operations.
“It’s the club’s decision to pay their players or staff. We can’t intervene, that’s how all top leagues operate,” Chaubey added.
In response, the AIFF, after consultations with the clubs, decided to stage the Super Cup as a stop-gap measure. Introduced in 2018 to replace the Federation Cup, the tournament has mostly been held at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium, with only the 2023 edition hosted in Kerala.
FC Goa, under former India coach Manolo Marquez, won the most recent edition, defeating Khalid Jamil’s Jamshedpur FC in the final.
Agencies